Wigan’s council leader has welcomed the news that the sale of the Tote has been shelved by the government.
At last night’s full council meeting (Wednesday 29 October), Lord Smith said he was delighted the 600 jobs would be staying in Wigan.
He was speaking after an announcement by the Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe that the sale was being put on hold due to ‘current market conditions’.
Lord Smith said:
“To have achieved this result has involved a lot of activity – I and our MPs have seen just about everyone from the Prime Minister down in an effort to persuade the government to reconsider the original sale.
“It’s been a very uncertain time for the past three years but we were determined to ensure that these good jobs stayed in Wigan.
“Clearly it’s not a good time to be selling any business in the current financial climate and we understand nothing will change now for at least three years.
“I must pay tribute to the Tote management, the company's employees and our MPs for their full support. We hope this period of stability allows the business to move forward."
