A new committee has been set up to ensure that local companies and individuals benefit from construction activities in Wirral.

Established by Wirral Chamber of Commerce and its members, The Wirral Construction Forum met for this first time this week to establish its guiding principles and to define its objectives.

Chaired by area director of construction and infrastructure company Morgan Sindall, Barry Roberts, the forum will meet monthly and develop opportunities for local companies and individuals to benefit from local spending on construction projects.

Mr Roberts said: “This is not a talking shop. We are going to establish concrete opportunities for local businesses to win work and for individuals to get high quality well-paid jobs in the borough.

“As a Wirralian, I am passionate about the area and take my responsibilities as chair of the Forum seriously. We are very pleased with the start we have made and we are committed to drive the value of projects on the Wirral through the local supply chain. We are determined to put Wirral people and companies first.”

Along with Morgan Sindall, the founding partners of the forum include Peel Land & Property, the developer behind the multi-million pound Wirral Waters Enterprise Zone, the Wirral Chamber of Commerce and Wirral Met College.

The aims and objectives of the Forum include:

  • To inform members of local supply chain opportunities such as Wirral Waters one of the UK’s largest regeneration projects.
  • To ensure members have an active group to network and build meaningful business contacts with likeminded individuals in the sector.
  • To update the construction sector on specific issues and work together to address potential barriers to growth.
  • To ensure that members are well educated on specific supply chain requirements.
  • Where appropriate, to educate businesses in the construction sector and ensure that members have the skills required to form part of a robust supply chain working with key partners such as Wirral Met College.
  • To encourage a wider reach of opportunities for our members by working with other businesses and partners across Wirral and the Liverpool City Region.
  • To discuss members ambitions for the future.

Richard Mawdsley, Peel’s director of development at Wirral Waters and Forum member, added: “It’s vital with regeneration projects, to ensure spend is retained locally. The establishment of the Forum is long overdue and I’m pleased to be putting the weight of Peel behind it. It is critical that we pool resources and knowledge to ensure we generate opportunities for the next generation of construction workers.

“At Wirral Waters, we now have a pipeline of deliverable projects that, with the support from the local authority and right infrastructure, can come forward.

“Helping to ensure that the local construction supply chains and construction students at Wirral Met College’s Wirral Waters campus have access to these opportunities is vital. This is focused heavily on local skills and jobs for local people, which is why the fact that it’s part of one of the government’s Enterprise Zones is so important.”

As a first step, the Forum has committed to holding a supplier and apprentice showcase event in conjunction with Wirral Met College in January 2017.

To be kept up to date with the Construction Forum, interested parties should contact Sara Davies at Wirral Chamber of Commerce on 0151 650 6940 or visit www.wirralchamber.co.uk/Members/Construction-Forum/