Reacting to the news of the job losses at Scunthorpe and Scotland, Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council Deputy Leader, Councillor David Walsh said:
“While this is devastating news for our sister steel communities in Scunthorpe and Clydeside, I am relieved that it seems there will be no direct job losses at the Lackenby Teesside Beam Mill, a plant which is under the control of Tata’s Long Products Division headquartered at Scunthorpe.
“We can appreciate only too well the pain and shock faced by our sister steel communities. There are big problems facing the UK steel industry and it requires action by government to confront them and to look for solutions. One big issue is Government procurement for big capital infrastructure programmes. Put simply, new rail lines, highways, power stations and schools can be the catalyst for steel order that plants like the Teesside Beam Mill – one of the most modern and versatile structural rolling mills in the country – can supply. The Government needs to begin to invest for a future for steelmaking to continue.”