A lifeline was today thrown to the more than 340 people who face redundancy as a result of a spate of closures and cutbacks in York.

Card Protection Plan (CPP) today announced that it planned to create 400 more jobs at its £10 million Holgate Park headquarters in the city - and it pledged that every single person made redundant at the ill-fated firms in the city would automatically be interviewed.

They include Portastor, in Huntington, whose latest round of redundancies brings its total to 118 jobs; Lawson Mardon Packaging, Clifton Moor (76 jobs), Range Powermax, heating specialists in Clifton Moor (64 jobs) and York Gas, in Lendal Road, whose imminent closure affects 88 jobs.

The gesture was praised by leaders of the city's economy.

Tony Bennett, York's assistant director of economic development, said: "This is exactly the sort of linkage that is very helpful in seeking to find alternatives for people made redundant or who are facing redundancy.

"If we can help also them in any way through our employment and training organisation, Future Prospects, we would be delighted to do so.

"This is a microcosm of the way in which the economy is moving, with modern and IT-based firms like CPP moving forward."

Nigel Botterill, managing director of the telemarketing division of CPP, responded to an Evening Press story on jobs turmoil by writing to the chief executives of the firms affected and making the offer.

He also offered to send a small team to visit their premises to address affected workers on the opportunities available at CPP.

Mr Botterill urged them: "Come to our open day at our Holgate Park HQ next Thursday. You'll be guaranteed an interview for a job here.

"The single most important factor we will be looking at is your personality - experience and previous skills are much less relevant.

"One of our most successful employees is a 55 year old bus driver recently forced into early retirement. He stepped straight out of his bus and into telemarketing.

"We have a fantastic training programme, which works even for people who have never sat in front of a computer before.

"We also offer a wide variety of working patterns - full-time, part- time or at hours to suit."

The new intake will bring staff numbers at CPP to 1,200 - about 200 more on the payroll than was expected two months ago.

Mr Botterill, who joined CPP ten weeks ago said: "We are in a major growth situation here. It's frenetic and energetic and we are constantly expanding."

The core business remained credit and payment card protection but there had been huge diversification into the mobile phone insurance market, debt management and travel insurance.

"We are also getting very good at telemarketing, so we are offering a telemarketing service to our blue chip partners, mainly in the financial sector."

Updated: 10:49 Thursday, June 07, 2001