Waiting for those green shoots of recovery
GREEN shoots or Scotch mist? In Brighouse evidence of the much-talked about economic recovery has been pretty hard to find since the start of 2010.
Two well-known and respected local businesses have been forced to call in the administrators and more than 250 jobs have been put on the line. First UV Modular and now the GF Group have discovered that those green shoots are proving more elusive than the politicians would have us believe.
The sad reality for a small town like Brighouse is that this number of potential job losses has a far-reaching impact on the local economy. Families hit by the threat of redundancy necessarily have less money to spend in shops, pubs and cafes and they're going to think twice about decorating their homes, changing their car, taking a holiday or buying a new sofa.
GF Group is a prime example of a company which relies on a bouyant economy to bring in the customers. In the more affluent '90s, the company gained an excellent reputation for fitting out pubs, shops, restaurants and hotels to a very high standard. But, come the economic downturn, the firm's potential customers tighten their belts and think twice about investing in refurbishment and costly make-overs.
Though it's probably too late now for UV Modular, the administrators are hopeful of finding a buyer for the GF Group.
The company's workforce and the quality of its products have been praised and there must be hope that the firm has a future. In the meantime the green shoots will have to work harder to make their presence felt – at least in Brighouse.
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Weather for Halifax
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 24 mph
Wind direction: East
