Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen and the leader of Hartlepool Council have held talks with the Secretary for State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to discuss the future of Liberty Steel’s pipe mill in Hartlepool.
The meeting with Kwasi Kwarteng took place while he was in Teesside to announce global offshore wind manufacturer GE Renewable will build a new state of the art factory on the Teesworks site, creating 2,250 good-quality, skilled jobs.
Both Mayor Houchen and Cllr Moore made clear they expect the government to do all they can to protect jobs in Hartlepool.
In recent day’s Mayor Houchen has also held discussion with GFG Alliance, Liberty Steel’s parent company, to better understand the position of the Hartlepool pipe mill and what the company is doing to protect local jobs.
Mayor Houchen said: “It was very good speaking to the Business Secretary about Liberty Steel while he was in Teesside, both Shane and I made clear that we expect the government to do all they can to protect good-quality, well paid steel jobs in Hartlepool.
“Currently Liberty Steel is continuing to trade as normal, and the Hartlepool mill is still operational making high quality pipes for the oil, gas and offshore sectors. The global contract the company has secured over the last few years are a vote of confidence in the mills highly skilled workforce.
“Having spoken with GFG earlier in the week they said they are optimistic about the future profitability of the business in Hartlepool. If this is the case then the company and the government should have no difficulty ensuring the Hartlepool mills remain open for many year to come.”
Cllr Shane Moore said: ““The Hartlepool mills, which employ 250 people, are the largest of their type in the UK and as such are significant strategic assets that must be protected.”
“During our meeting with the Secretary for State for Business I impressed upon him how critical the business was to Hartlepool; the workforce is highly skilled, hugely motivated and dedicated to making the best product available.
“We are monitoring the situation closely and will hold further talks with the company in the days and weeks ahead as more information becomes available.
“The uncertainty of the last week has been hugely stressful for Liberty’s staff and their families, and I would urge the company to do all it can to keep them informed of the latest developments.”
