Reid criticises Government over flood woe

The attack comes in a letter to John Hutton, Secretary of State at the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

Mr Reid tells Mr Hutton that Sheffield companies have already announced almost 70 redundancies as a direct result of the floods, another 200 jobs are under threat, while Sheffield MP Clive Betts has warned thousands more jobs could go.

“How many more jobs need to be lost before you and the Government will take this matter seriously?” Mr Reid asks the Secretary of State.

Mr Reid is angered that he has yet receive a reply to repeated calls for flood hit firms to be given 100 per cent Capital Allowances to help them to re-equip.

The Master Cutler issued his call in a letter to the Prime Minister in June and repeated it to Mr Hutton, himself, and then Competitiveness Minister Stephen Timms when they visited Sheffield in July.

“If the Prime Minister wishes to dissociate himself from the previous ‘spin without substance’ regime and show that his Ministers care about delivery and performance, may I suggest that a proper response is long over due?” writes Mr Reid.

n Sheffield saw maker, Bower Street-based Atkinson-Walker (Saws) and cutting tool manufacturer Hydra Clarkson International are among those companies that have announced redundancies as a result of the floods.

Atkinson-Walker suffered because some of its machinery could not be repaired or replaced while Hydra Clarkson suffered badly because its Penistone Road factory backs onto the Don.

Sheffield Chamber of Commerce says the impact of the flooding on jobs is hard to gauge as some companies laid workers off immediately after the floods, but have since been able to take them back on.

However, the Chamber fears that there could be a spate of flood-related redundancies in a couple of months time as companies get a clearer picture of the long term effects.

n John Hutton could be among attendees at a Yorkshire Forward flood recovery seminar for businesses which is due to take place in Doncaster on Monday September 3. Details of the seminar are currently being finalised but it is believed that the Secretary of State and Mr Timms could both be at the meeting.