Comment on Century Litho

12.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 6th Jul 2009

Commenting on news that the SW RDA will be seeking to recover over £1/2 million of investment made into Century Litho last year, which went into administration last week, Julia Goldsworthy said:

"The sad news that Century Litho has gone into administration, with the loss of 60 jobs, is a terrible blow to the individuals affected and the wider local economy. The immediate priority must be to ensure that those who have lost their jobs get the help and support they need to get them back into work as quickly as possible.

"However, the RDA has questions to answer about the £1/2 million investment of public money that they made into the company last year. Whilst they have been quick to indicate they will be seeking to recover the funds from the administrators, they must also demonstrate that they did everything possible to try and prevent any job losses.

"The quango's role is to help the region weather the economic storm - simply recovering the funds they have invested when businesses fail, is not sufficient to convince people that they are up to the task. These resources would be spent more effectively and accountably if the RDAs were abolished altogether - with their funds and responsibilities passed down to a more local level."