Kellogg’s campaign on congestion issue

Cereal giant Kellogg’s is to campaign against plans to introduce congestion charging.

The firm, which employs 1,000 staff at Trafford Park - and 26,000 in 19 different countries - says the charge would make life too difficult to ship cereals from its plant, the biggest cereal factory in the world.

Trafford Centre owners Peel Holdings are already firm opponents of the road pricing proposals - in return for £3bn of public transport improvements - and Kellogg’s says that several other big companies are ready to make a stand.

“We welcome the public transport proposals but they will not help us move cornflakes,” said Chris Wermann, director of Corporate Communications, UK and North Europe.

“They said they would talk to us and we had been on their list of people to talk to. But how can you put a bid in without consulting businesses the size of ours?

“This is the first time we have spoken out but we will be more vocal from now on. There are a number of other big businesses who will be doing the same.”

The company, which opened at Trafford Park in 1938 and makes more than 40 different cereals, last month moved to reassure staff that its investment in a state-of-the art factory in Poland does not sound the death-knell for its manufacturing force on Trafford Park.

The announcement of the Polish factory had sparked fears from staff about the future, particularly as more than 200 jobs have been lost over the last 18 months as part of an efficiency review.

He stressed: “This decision about congestion charging has no implications for the future of our Manchester factory or the head office.”

Sir Howard Bernstein, city chief executive, council leader Sir Richard Leese, and AGMA leader Lord Peter Smith met with members of the Chamber’s council of business leaders - but told them that details of the scheme are still to be thrashed out.