Homeserve jobs pledge as 400 get axe in cut

Walsall's biggest private employer today promised jobs in the town were not at risk, as it axed 400 workers nationwide with the closure of two loss-making businesses.

Insurance group Homeserve, which employs 1,300 at its Green Lane headquarters, is closing down two arms of its Emergency Services Division, in Nottingham and North Wales.

But bosses at the group - who sold the rest of the division in an £11 million deal last month – today reassured staff in Walsall over their jobs.

They say Homeserve has decided to concentrate on the firm's main activity, providing insurance services dealing with household emergencies ranging from burst pipes to dodgy wiring and stained carpets.

Spokeswoman Holly Clark said: "Homeserve's core membership business, which is based in Walsall, continues to perform well.

"Employees based at this location are not affected in any way by this decision."

The repairs side of the firm had been losing money heavily, prompting the decision to sell it off, but Homeserve had been unable to find a buyer for its Nottingham-based Property Repairs arm, HPR, and Anglia, another repair business, in Dyserth, North Wales.

It aims to close both businesses by January next year.