Major construction company Galliford Try has signed up to the City of Wolverhampton Charter.
The firm are currently developing the city’s new multi-million-pound railway station as part of the wider Interchange project.
Another division of the plc, Galliford Try Partnerships, is building more than 220 homes at two city sites – the Tap Works in Low Hill and the Tower & Fort Works in Graiseley.
Today (Friday) both divisions further committed to the City of Wolverhampton by putting pen to paper on the charter, which has five core principles underpinning the commissioning and procurement activities of key partners in the city. These are:
- Develop and grow a skilled workforce
- Encourage healthy lifestyles and independence
- Support more people to be active within their communities
- Support business to develop and grow
- Support the reduction to the carbon footprint and eliminate unnecessary waste
The council, Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, City of Wolverhampton University, City of Wolverhampton College, Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council (WVSC), and Economic Growth Board, which is made up of the city’s key public-sector organisations and leading business representatives, are among other organisations that have all signed the charter.
As well as delivering on key city regeneration projects, Galliford Try and Galliford Try Partnerships are committed to social value for residents.
They have committed to using local labour and activities focused on either education, employment and apprentices.
Through work in local schools and with other key training providers, they are raising awareness of careers within the construction sector and have already attended over 15 employment-related events.
They have also pledged their support to city homelessness initiatives – The Church at Broad Street, which provides a bed for the night for homeless people, and the Good Shepherd Ministry, which feeds homeless people.
Councillor Roger Lawrence, City of Wolverhampton Council Leader, said: “Galliford Try and Galliford Try Partnerships are committed contractors who have become strong ambassadors for the City of Wolverhampton, attending key city events and working closely with local stakeholders.
“They have quickly become part of City of Wolverhampton’s employer community and have pledged to recruit locally and support the Wolverhampton Charter’s wider health and social enterprise activities.
“The charter leads the way in ensuring public and private expenditure supports local people into employment, helps our local community and voluntary groups to thrive, invests in the health of the local community and protects our local environment.
“At the same time, it works to ensure we support our local businesses to develop and grow through our commissioning and procurement processes.”
Simon Burton, Managing Director of Galliford Try West Midlands, commented: “As a values-driven business, we take our responsibility to the communities in which we operate very seriously. We are excited to be partnering with the City of Wolverhampton on this initiative and will be working closely with them to deliver as much economic and social value as we can to local people and businesses throughout the course of the railway station project.”
Darren Beale, Regional Director for Galliford Try Partnerships West Midlands added: “We are pleased to be working with the City of Wolverhampton Council to deliver much needed affordable and low-cost home ownership options across multiple sites. We believe in making a positive difference to the local economies in which we work and our collaboration with the City will provide the perfect platform to engage with local communities and to shape our future workforce.”