BUSINESS leaders in Coventry are calling for bosses at struggling car parts firm Stadco to consider an alternative to closure.

The Telegraph revealed on Tuesday that the ailing firm was looking to close its Holbrooks Lane plant – axing 165 jobs in the city.

Staff were given the devastating news on Monday afternoon, causing anger among local union leaders, who branded it a “betrayal”.

They claim that the first wave of redundancies could come as early as February, with the factory standing empty by next September.

Business leaders have urged Stadco bosses to look at other ways to weather the downturn – which is crippling the automotive industry.

Doug Squires, president of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “The Stadco announcement is sad news.

“At the moment closure of the Coventry plant is only a possibility and we hope that it remains just that, and that the company and its workforce can find a way through these difficult times.

“The company is important to the region as it has been around for so many years and is synonymous with the automotive industry in Coventry.”

The news came just days after Dutch car firm Spyker announced it planned to move to Coventry, possibly by the end of the year.

The luxury car manufacturer confirmed it would shift final assembly of its vehicles to one of its main suppliers, CPP in Whitley.

Read more in the Coventry Telegraph

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