Jobs boost

65 new posts on the way

Oldham’s white collar job outlook was given a boost today when the council announced 65 new posts are coming the the borough.

The council’s big business partner Mouchel plc is restructuring its Liverpool operations to bring jobs to the borough.

The firm will also open a specialist business centre in Oldham next summer.

Mouchel’s new-year jobs boost includes posts in human resources, payroll and finance which will come to Oldham in 2011.

The company and the council set up the Unity Partnership in 2007, a joint venture company to deliver back officer services for the authority.

Unity already provides the Access Oldham contact centre, some finance, highways, property and IT services.

In the New Year, Unity will also take over the council’s human resources, credit control, and some accounts functions, highway management and more customer services functions.

However Mouchel is also closing its Cunard Building office in Liverpool, where it has 150 staff, and transferring its human resources, payroll and finance functions to Oldham.

The Liverpool office will close by July, next year. It is not clear how many, if any, of the Liverpool staff may transfer to Oldham. Unity was criticised in August this year when backbench Oldham councillors said it had failed to bring in new jobs or extra work to Oldham, and failed to build or provide a promised business centre.

They recommended 19 ways of improving the deal.

Today Council Leader Howard Sykes said: “To have 65 new jobs coming to the borough is excellent news which underlines Oldham is ‘open for business’ and working hard to attract new inward investment and jobs.

“Everyone knows how challenging the current economic climate is and it is critically important that Oldham Council continues to take a leadership role in playing a proactive part in creating job opportunities within the borough.

“That is a responsibility we take very seriously and we have worked closely with Mouchel to ensure we can bring these jobs within a centre of excellence to Oldham.

“This deal is part of our commitment to a long term partnership with Mouchel and offers good prospects for further new jobs to be created here in the future.”

Unity employs 380 people in the partnership with the council, which will go up to 435 in the new year as more services transfer across.

Mouchel will also directly employ 65 people at the new specialist service centre.

Mouchel plans to agree new accommodation in Oldham by February 2011, with a view to the centre opening by July 31.