WITH one in six British households now without an adult wage earner, the current economic climate is certainly the worst possible time to launch any major project which further threatens employment prospects. But some Hereford employers, with businesses which have so far managed to weather the recession, are predicting that the ESG scheme will put as many as 3,500 local jobs at risk.
Nearly 200 businesses, with a combined turnover of over £140-million, are being threatened with the disruption of relocation if work on the ESG development ever gets underway. Specialist companies affected include Jewsons, National Autogas, Reprodux and RSS Refrigeration. Andrew Sanders of the Edgar Street Association says: “There is an increasing worry that hundreds of jobs and many viable businesses are going to be wiped out to make way for an ill-conceived road and a large car park.”