WITH jobs lost at Terry's, the civil service, Thrall and Norwich Union, York could do with another boost. And so it comes with the CPP Group's plans to create an extra 200 jobs.

The £131.6 million financial company has its headquarters at Holgate Park in the city - close, tellingly, to what was once the heart of York's railway industry.

In line with modern trends, CPP provides a service rather than producing anything, offering what it describes as revenue consumer assistance services.

The company has grown and expanded, and now offers protection for cards, keys, wallets and purses, while also insuring mobile phones and moving into roadside assistance.

The renamed Inward Investment Board for York and North Yorkshire, which originally enticed CPP to York, describes the expansion as "a much needed boost for York". This is certainly true and it is also a reminder of the important work the organisation does in promoting business in the city.

As service industries conduct their business by phone and computer, there has been a trend for companies to out-source their work to other countries, including India.

To many people, this is a sort of geographical madness with, for example, a caller in York speaking to someone in Delhi. It also has worrying implications for jobs in this country: if we no longer make things and people abroad can work for our service industry, what does that leave?

To its credit, CPP appears determined to keep its call centre in York, with the company saying it is "as committed to York as when we first moved to the city".

This is an important commitment because York needs to attract and retain jobs, helping to fortify the city against the economic vagaries of the global economy.

Updated: 09:55 Wednesday, August 25, 2004