Sandwell Council Leader Councillor Darren Cooper today hit out at West Bromwich’s Building Society’s “disgraceful” decision to quit its namesake town.
The society is moving its head office to neighbouring Dudley.
Councillor Cooper said: “I believe the society is treating the people of West Bromwich and Sandwell appallingly.
“It has built its business on the back of hard working people in the area over many years, and now it is abandoning them and its own history.
“This decision is an utter disgrace.
“I hope local people will consider the society’s decision to move when deciding what to do with their money.”
Cllr Cooper added: “We could not have done more to keep the West Brom in the town which gave it its name.
“We bent over backwards. We offered land for both new offices and car parking at a premium location at the heart of the new town centre which is growing day by day.
“We also offered financial terms which we believe the society could not have got anywhere else.
“It has, however, decided to move to an existing building outside the borough.
“We are shocked and deeply disappointed by that decision.
“Despite it, we remain confident that the drive to regenerate the town centre – which is attracting some £400 million-worth of development, mostly from the private sector – is still on track to deliver new facilities, a 21st century environment and thousands of jobs to the people of Sandwell.”
We understand that the crisis prompts us waste big sums of money. However, we have no other that to buy essays.
This is an example of why it is not always a good idea to name your business after a geographical location. You never know when you might need to move. However since West Bromwich is now effectively called Sandwell and the Councils own head office is in Oldbury NOT West Bromwich this blog is a bit rich.
Local Black Country Councils seem to be in the thrall of Tesco who are systematically causing their local shops to close with their ability to price the independents out of the local area. Walsall is on its last legs because of this and a ludicrous parking policy. Tesco don’t mind though because as soon as the competition is destroyed the prices will go up and they will get back their short term predatory losses in spades.
Meanwhile given the state of the financial services industry you would have thought the Council would have bent over backwards to preserve the West Brom HQ in its original home town and the jobs that go with that. They claim they did but as the move will taken place they obviously did not bend far enough. But short sightedness and political ideology to make the bankers squeal prevents that. West Brom BS feels they can get better terms elsewhere. However Merry Hell seems a dubious solution.
I can’t believe Cooper blaming WBBS, they say the costs were too high to move to Providence Place. Well why was that? I would say because SMBC wanted too much money & was relying on the Society bowing to tradition to stop in the town irrespective of the cost. Cooper should have pulled out all the stops to get them relocated within West Bromwich, but greed prevailed.
It seems it’s OK for the council to save money in this economical climate we have had foisted on us, but not for bodies that need to show a profit.
It is sad. Has anyone asked them why? WB is having its heart torn out by Tesco, maybe that is why?
Cost is the reason why! They can move into newly refurbished offices by this time next year or wait for two years for a new building but at double the cost.