Simon says he will create 30,000 jobs

MAYORAL candidate Sion Simon will today set out his ten point plan for rejuvenating Birmingham which he says will create 30,000 new jobs in the city.

Simon, the former Labour MP for Erdington, will present his pledges before an invited audience of Labour members, non-party endorsers and business figures at the Hockley premises of Caribbean food manufacturer Cleone Foods.

Those pledges include creating 30,000 new jobs in Birmingham and breaking the city’s “cycle of unemployment and deprivation”. He would also launch a Birmingham Future Jobs Fund, a Birmingham Apprenticeships scheme, and an aligned inward investment and export trade programme, should he be successful in his bid to become mayor.

The candidate says he will also use the city council’s procurement processes to launch a Buy Brummie or Buy British campaign, promoting smaller local firms, whenever possible.

Simon suggests his choice of venue for today’s event is significant, describing Cleone Foods as a brilliant example of the enterprising spirit that he wants to nurture as mayor.

The company employs 50 people and is big on training and apprenticeships. Its approach to social responsibility has seen company founder Wade Lyn – a judge in TheBusinessDesk.com’s inaugural Midlands Business Masters awards -appointed as the Midlands Business Ambassador for Business in the Community by the Prince of Wales.

Should Birmingham voters decide they want a city mayor at the polls in May, the election to determine who it will be will be held in November.