Press release: Carillion: Official Receiver’s update

A spokesperson for the Official Receiver said:

More than half (54%) the pre-liquidation workforce – close to 10,000 employees – have now been found secure ongoing employment so far through the liquidation. A further 873 jobs have been saved with employees transferring to new suppliers who have picked up contracts that Carillion had been delivering.

Regrettably we have been unable to find ongoing employment for a further 97 employees who have been given notice of redundancy. Jobcentre Plus’ RapidResponse Service will provide them with every support to find new work.

Discussions with potential purchasers continue. I am continuing to engage with staff, elected employee representatives and unions to keep them informed as these arrangements are confirmed.

further information:

  • in total, to date 9,946 jobs have been saved and 1,802 jobs have been made redundant through the liquidation
  • this information does not include jobs attached to contracts where an intention to purchase has been entered into but has not yet formally occurred
  • more than 5,400 employees are currently retained to enable Carillion to deliver the remaining services it is providing for public and private sector customers until decisions are taken to transfer or cease these contracts
  • further information about rights in redundancy is available on gov.uk

To be notified of future updates from the Official Receiver please register to receive an email alert.



An Elegant Sufficiency, or the Curious Case of a Victorian Meme

PhD placement student Rowan Campbell writes: It sometimes strikes me just how much chance and canny timing have to do with the way we experience the world. While cataloguing audio files, I came across the following speaker (born 1944, London) who tells us that her great-grandmother used to say “I’ve…



Friends of Wighton event tomorrow

From Sheena Wellington :

Wighton Heritage Centre, Central Library : Wednesday 4th April – 1.15pm – 1.45pm

Lunchtime Recital with Simon Chadwick – Medieval Harp

It is always a delight when our own harp tutor Simon Chadwick gives us the chance to sit and just listen to him play.  

On this occasion Simon will be playing traditional Scottish and Irish tunes on the big Irish harp, one of the several fascinating replica instruments which unite his twin passions of music and archaeology. 

Simon is a busy man, regularly travelling for concerts and festivals, teaching and creating online illustrated lectures for his website.    Getting him for a recital is a very special treat!

Admission free – donations welcome.


Innovations to like, and innovations that disappoint

I am all in favour of new technology. It can deliver more to us for less. It can help us in ways we did not imagine. It drives good change in the corporate world, forcing businesses to adjust to new competitors and to rethink their goods and services. It often produces a product or service which becomes a must.

There are also times when innovation produces a product or service which is little or no improvement on what it seeks to replace. Change makers can become mesmerised by the technology and think less about the customer. Much change is healthy, but some change can be expensive, disruptive or simply unnecessary.

I was an early adopter of mobile phones, as it was a big leap forward to be able to contact people from wherever you are. Many of the improvements made to cars, to their safety and comfort, are most welcome. Modern computers enable us to find information without going to the library and to send out material without having to persuade an editor or publisher.

I ask myself which innovations that are currently being discussed would do most to improve my life? Clearly a self driving car that took responsibility for my travel would provide a big increase in freedom and give me back the hours I spend in traffic jams studying the safety of the road ahead. I would like a self controlled hoover that could clean a room whilst I was doing something else in another room. More automation of other cleaning routines would also be good news.

There are some changes which have not brought obvious benefits. As a taxpayer I get my share of the big bills for switching trains to electric drive, but as a passenger I do not see any improvement of an electric train over a diesel. All the time we generate electricity from coal and gas it is difficult to see the environmental case as well. Electricity as a secondary fuel incurs energy losses at the power station and in transmission as well as in turning the energy into drive power in the engine.

I have given up on my digital radio at home and gone back to the old analogue one, despite the poor BBC signal. The digital radios are difficult to tune in, slow to warm up and often provide a poor quality output. The one I have to have to have in the car regularly cuts out in busy places.

Quite a few of the digital control systems are far less effective than old fashioned switches and dials. Fiddling about with a light display operated by applying finger pressure to a pad is not as quick or easy as setting a dial to a required setting.

I would be interested to hear your list of good and bad new ideas.



Guidelines for Accreditation of Journalists Amended to Regulate Fake News

Noticing the increasing instances of fake news in various mediums including print and electronic media, the Government has amended the Guidelines for Accreditation of Journalists. Now on receiving any complaints of such instances of fake news, the same would get referred to the Press Council of India (PCI) if it pertains to print media & to News Broadcasters Association (NBA) if it relates to electronic media, for determination of the news item being fake or not.

Determination is expected to be completed within 15 days by these regulating agencies.

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