Stockport Council leaders call for urgent meeting with Sky ahead of site closure

Political leaders in Stockport have called for an urgent meeting with senior management at Sky following the media group’s announcement that it will close its contact centre in the town.

Cllr Mark Hunter, Leader of the Council and Leader of the Liberal Democrats Group; Cllr David Meller, Leader of the Labour Group; Cllr Matt Wynne, Leader of the Edgeley Community Association; Cllr Gary  Lawson, Leader of the Green Party and, Cllr Anna Charles-Jones, Leader of the Independent Ratepayers Group, alongside Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, have signed an open letter to Sky bosses expressing their disappointment at the business’ decision to close its contact centre in the town.

The letter calls for a meeting between Stockport Council and senior leadership at Sky to explore way jobs in the town could be retained, and how Sky plans to support employees who lose their jobs and the wider communities in the borough that job losses will affect. Council leaders also highlight how there had been no previous indications or signals from the business ahead of the decision to close the contact centre, which has operated since 2010.

Media group, Sky, revealed on Thursday 27th March, that it would close three of its UK contact centres in Sheffield and Leeds as well as Stockport, amid a shake-up of its customer service processes that will see the business cut approximately 7% of its workforce. Instead, it plans to invest in a new ‘centre of excellence’ for customer contact in Livingston, Scotland, which will see greater focus on digital communication tools.

The full letter, originally published on the Stockport Council website reads:

We are writing to express our deep concern and disappointment regarding Sky’s sudden and unexpected decision to close its call centre in Stockport. This announcement, made without warning, has come as a significant shock to our community, with no prior indication that such a move was being considered.

This closure will have a devastating impact on hundreds of employees, their families, and the wider local economy. Stockport has long been a thriving hub for business and innovation, and Sky has been an important part of our employment landscape. Given the scale of this decision, we are urgently seeking a meeting at the highest level with your leadership team to better understand the rationale behind this closure, explore any possible alternatives, and ensure that Sky fully meets its responsibilities to its employees and the wider Stockport community.

We would also like to discuss what meaningful support Sky will put in place for affected workers and how we can work together to mitigate the impact of this decision. Our priority is to ensure that those affected receive the support and opportunities they deserve, and we hope that Sky will engage constructively with us on this matter.

We would appreciate an urgent response and the opportunity to meet as soon as possible. Please do come back with your availability, as we are keen to work with you to address these pressing concerns.

Yours sincerely

Cllr Mark Hunter, Leader of the Council, Leader of the Liberal Democrats
Cllr David Meller, Leader of the Labour Group
Cllr Matt Wynne, Leader of the Edgeley Community Association
Cllr Anna Charles-Jones, Leader of the Independent Ratepayers Group
Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester Mayor