Thank you for your letter of 17 July in response to mine of 30 June 2006. I am afraid that I found your letter of 3 July to be neither explanatory, nor an effective update on a situation that is of immediate concern to thousands of my constituents.
I have recently met with and received correspondence from many of my constituents on this issue. I have also recently met with representatives from the PCS and PROSPECT unions, regarding the proposed relocation of the Defence Logistics Organisations (DLO) currently located at RAF Brampton and Wyton. They have raised serious concerns with regard to the way this whole matter has been managed. In particular they feel that there are serious flaws in the business case and that it is not financially or logistically sound. Some of the key areas that they are questioning are;
· The business case states that only 350 posts can be civilianised if they move to Abbey Wood, where is the evidence to support this.
· The business case does not clearly identify why having a single site is beneficial. And if this was the case why were the only sites considered all in the Bath/Bristol area.
· The pool of labour in the Bristol area would be hard pushed to fill the additional posts.
· The original capital cost of moving the DLO from Harrogate to Wyton in 1995 was based on projected savings over a 25 year period. This cannot be achieved with a second relocation to Bristol. Has this been factored into the business case.
I have written to your department over recent years to complain at the poor level of consultation that the Wyton workforce have experienced and I am now very concerned about the lack of consultation on these proposals. I do also agree that that business case as it stands raises more questions than it answers. That such poor consultation is being carried out is in some ways making the picture more rather than less confusing. I believe that urgent clarification is now required. I would particularly like to see due consideration given to the following issues:
· It is proposed that 500 jobs are relocated to Bristol, what will happen to the other 2,200 DLO staff based at Wyton and could your consultation not have appreciated the concern that your announcement has caused to the remainder left in limbo?
· What units and how many personnel will be moved to RAF Wyton and when?
· How will the 500 posts be moved to Bristol? Will there be a phased relocation and what is the timing?
· Are there proposals to move other RAF units to Wyton or will it be closed over time?
· What facilities from RAF Brampton will be moved to RAF Wyton?
· Is it proposed that RAF Brampton will be used by the RAF or sold?
· How does the MoD propose to consult on these issues and what timescales are involved?
Finally, I have also received from Tom Watson MP a letter of 14 July 2006, dealing with the flying training that takes place at RAF Wyton. Again, I can not understand what is intended from this letter. In March 2006, your department wrote to me to say that following a review such flight training would continue from Wyton. You now tell me that there is a further review to take place, to report in August. Does this mean that flying training could now be stopped at Wyton?
I would be very grateful if you would consider my representations and provide me with a comprehensive response to the questions and issues raised. As things stand, I have thousands of constituents who are currently very worried about their futures and I do not feel that they are being treated fairly by your department.
Due to the very significant local importance of this issue a copy of this letter will be circulated to the employee representatives and the local media.
Yours sincerely"