Petition demands CITB rethink proposal to leave Bircham Newton
Church and business leaders have joined forces to demand the Construction Industry Training Board’s (CITB) current West Norfolk headquarters is saved.
A petition has been launched against the board’s proposal to leave its current Bircham Newton home, after union leaders claimed the plans were confused and had not been properly consulted on.
But, although CITB bosses say they have apologised to staff affected by consultation mistakes, they still maintain change is essential.
The petition, which is addressed to the CITB’s new chairman, Peter Lauener, and local MP Sir Henry Bellingham, says the Bircham site is “essential” to the area’s economic prosperity and viability.
It goes on: “We call upon the Chairman and the Board of the CITB to halt all plans to move offices and staff from the site at Bircham Newton and to reconsider the proposals made by the current CEO to overhaul training provision there.
“We want to save the CITB in Bircham Newton.”
One of the leading figures in the campaign is local vicar the Rev Peter Cook, whose parishes include the Birchams.
He said: “At a time when we need more, not less, homegrown people to build homes and infrastructure in our country, it seems to be a shortsighted decision to mess with sites that are officially graded as outstanding.”
Copies of the petition are available to sign at the churches in Bircham, Docking, Sedgeford, Stanhoe and Fring.
The Bircham Social Club, Bircham Village Stores, The King’s Head and Bircham Windmill are also hosting copies, along with the The Railway Inn, Spar shop and Bayfield surgery in Docking, the King William IV pub in Sedgeford and the Duck Inn at Stanhoe.
The campaign has been launched after Unite union officials called on the CITB to “get its house in order” over its reform proposals.
They say CITB bosses have admitted there is no industry demand for it to end its training provision.
They also claim bosses told them there had been no formal consultation on the plans during recent talks
Regional co-ordinating officer Mark Robinson said: “Confusion currently reigns at the CITB. The organisation has a grand plan where it wants to get to but no idea how it is going to get there.
“The confusion, chaos and lack of communication is deeply disturbing and unsettling for our members, many of whom face losing their jobs, or having to uproot their lives.
But a CITB spokesman said: “British construction has been clear that CITB needs to change, and soon. The status quo is no longer an option.
“Delivering CITB’s Vision 2020 is crucial to being the modern, agile training body that delivers the skills outcomes firms need, now and in the future.
“CITB values every colleague and where we made a mistake, we’ve apologised and put it right. CITB has extended our Head Office relocation collective consultation period to allow colleagues to fully engage with the process.
“We have set out the roadmap for our Vision 2020 programme and have already met key milestones, we will continue to update at appropriate stages in the process.”
