Lobbyists are travelling to London in a bid to safeguard Teesside's economy following the announcement that 1,700 jobs are being cut at Corus in Redcar.
The group, led by MP Vera Baird, will ask business secretary Lord Mandelson for £100m to support the area.
Teesside Cast Products is to be partially mothballed, ending 150 years of steel production in the region.
The plant's future was placed in jeopardy last year when a consortium pulled out of a deal to buy its steel.
Among the delegates is the leader of Redcar and Cleveland Council, George Dunning.
He said the money was the "very least" they could ask for given the amount of regeneration planned for the area.
He said: "We have the Redcar and Cleveland master plan, and it's quite ambitious. That's 7,900 new jobs, 360 new homes, £4.5bn private investment.
"This is over a 15-year time scale obviously. So the £100m is to cushion the blow."
The closure of the blast furnace will not only affect Corus workers, but also the wider network of businesses across the region that supply the steel works.
Source:news.bbc.co.uk/
No comments:
Post a Comment