‘Focus on job creation and climate’ says North Yorks Green leader

​The Government has announced plans to prioritise job creation over green targets when companies bid for public contracts, a move welcomed by Labour MPs and trade unions but met with concern from green groups.

​As part of the overhaul, companies bidding for public contracts will be told to prioritise job creation over green and social targets.

​Cllr Kevin Foster, Leader of the Green and Independent Group at North Yorkshire Council, said: “It is absolutely right that public contracts should help create good local jobs and provide opportunities for young people. However, this should not come at the expense of our environmental ambitions. We should be doing both.

​“The transition to a greener economy is one of the biggest opportunities for job creation that this country has. Rather than importing so much of the technology we need, why aren’t we investing in manufacturing products such as solar panels here in the UK?

​“That would create skilled, well-paid jobs, strengthen our economy, improve our energy security and reduce emissions at the same time.”

​​From next year, businesses will be assessed on their commitment to creating high-quality employment, tackling local skills shortages and supporting young people into apprenticeships, work placements and training opportunities.

​Alison Hume, the Labour MP for Scarborough and Whitby, said: “This is a hugely positive step that puts local communities, British jobs and young people’s futures at the heart of public spending.

​“I’ve always maintained that public procurement should help develop skills, support apprenticeships and create good-quality jobs in the communities that need them most.

​​“This is the kind of ambitious step that will help drive growth in every postcode and ensure local people feel the benefits of economic growth.”

​However, Greenpeace UK’s head of politics, Ami McCarthy, argued that “protecting the environment and helping young people into good work are mutually beneficial and one shouldn’t come at a cost to the other.”

​“Companies should be held to account with environmental targets to help achieve a better future without leaving young workers behind.”

​Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Cllr Foster added: “This should never be a choice between jobs and the environment. The best public procurement policies should support both, ensuring taxpayers’ money creates local employment while also investing in the industries of the future.”

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