Councillor David Walsh, Deputy Leader for Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council said: “This is extremely sad news and I really feel for everyone who works at the mine, their families and the wider community.
“Redcar and Cleveland has had some positive news on the jobs front recently with announcements on the renewable energy plant at Teesport and the Sirius project moving forward.
“MGT Power will create at least 600 jobs during construction of the renewable energy plant, with a further 100 full time jobs sustained on site once it is operational. This is in addition to several hundred more in the supply chain, many of which will be local.
“The Sirius Minerals project will see potash mined in Whitby and then transported by an underground conveyor to a processing facility at Teesport where it will be delivered around the world. Once at full production it is expected to employ around 1,000 people with more in the supply chain.
“The Sirius tunnelling and shaft sinking is complementary to the skill set at Boulby and I would hope this will be acted on by Sirius and its contractors.
“Both projects are currently asking for people to register their interest in the jobs available and there will be a number of people affected by today’s announcement with the requisite skill set, so I hope that they are able to find new opportunities with these companies.
“We as a council are committed to supporting people through this process and we will do everything we can to help.”