Former Nottinghamshire Wilko staff offered extra help by council

The firm is in the latter stages of closing all its stores

Nottinghamshire County Council has voted to offer extra support for more than 2,000 local people left jobless following the collapse of Wilko.

The Worksop-based retailer is closing all its stores after going into administration in August.

All parties at the Conservative-led authority voted in favour of a motion to offer extra training opportunities for those made redundant.

The council also pledged to try to pair former staff with suitable openings.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the motion, lodged by Labour group leader Kate Foale, received unanimous backing from councillors.

Attempts to rescue the firm after it went into administration were unsuccessful

Ms Foale said: "It's clear the closure of Wilko stores is a huge blow to our county.

"So many of our communities will be affected. For anyone who's been in to Wilko since the announcement, it's been so, so sad.

"Some staff have worked there for years and working there for them felt like a family.

"They've lost their jobs at short notice and these are people who care about the communities they serve.

"We really need to… dig deep into our resources and use our position as a major employer to create training opportunities."

Conservative councillor Keith Girling added: "We are connected with Wilko staff personally… and we are also available to take down people's details if they have a specific role they are interested in.

"We've taken steps to engage with people on social media and that will continue."