A SENIOR councillor fears Basildon would be taking a backwards step if a major business shed jobs or left the town for good Kevin Blake, deputy leader of Basildon Council, has admitted it would be a “huge loss” for the borough if Waymade Healthcare, based in Miles Gray Road, shut its doors for good.

Staff at the pharmaceutical business have been sent letters telling them a 45-day consultation on the future of the firm is set to start.

The risk of job losses comes four months after Benfleet millionaires Vijay and Bhikhu Patel transferred the distribution arm of Waymade to the B&S Group.

The new owners have admitted parts of the Basildon business, which opened in 1984, are “not economically viable”.

Mr Blake said: “The country is starting to pick up, and we have got more and more people employed. We don’t want to lose that.

“Waymade has been in the borough for so long, it would be a huge loss. It’s a real shame.

“Hopefully the job losses won’t happen and they will be able to save Waymade.

“Unfortunately there is little we can do as we need to be mindful of the fact that if we help one business we will have to help all of those under threat.

“We are bucking the trend by creating more jobs and we want to attract businesses to Basildon, not take a backwards step and lose them.”

Figures released in June 2014 showed revenue at Waymade had fallen by £10million in the space of one financial year.

The Patel brothers claim they sold off substantial parts of the firm in December because they wanted to spend more time with their families, especially their grandchildren.

A spokesman for the B&S Group said: “Having reviewed the operations in Basildon over the last fewmonths, B&S believe that some restructuring of activities is necessary to ensure their overall operations bring the greatest benefits to their employees, suppliers and most importantly, their customers.

“The review has indicated the productivity of some parts of B&S’s Basildon operation are not economically viable in their current form. B&S have therefore commenced a formal consultation process with specific staff groups regarding the future operation of these areas.

“It is possible following this consultation a reduction in employee numbers may occur, however, at this stage no decisions have been made about the future of any part of the B&S business based in Basildon.”

THREE DECADES OF WORK

THE two brothers who started Waymade three decades ago come from humble beginning.

Vijay and Bhikhu Patel, who were born in Kenya, rose up the business ladder to be included in the Asian Rich List.

In April 2014, they were ranked number 14, with the net worth of Waymade Healthcare said to be £500million.

Vijay opened his first pharmacy, called Chemys, in Leigh, in 1975, and built up a chain of pharmacies across the South East.

He launched Waymade Pharmaceuticals, with Bhikhu, in 1984, to supply prescription drugs to the chemists.

It soon grew into a huge company and in 2010 the firm began selling dental supplies and special custom-made drugs.

The expansion proved so successful the business bought a second base in a disused warehouse on the Burnt Mills industrial estate, which was preciously home to Lord Alan Sugar’s firm Amsprop.