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Vauxhall Future Job Security Looking Hopeful
| Published: 18th May 2021 20:00 |
Hopes have again been raised that many jobs will be available at Vauxhall's long into the future.
Management of the Cheshire car company and Government ministers have both confirmed that talks aimed at securing the future of the 60-year-old North Road plant are moving forward well.
The early production line: the first Vauxhalls to be assembled at Ellesmere Port in 1962. Carlos Tavares, chief executive of Stellantis, the world's fourth largest carmaker encompassing 14 car brands including Vauxhall, and Kwasi Kwarteng, Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, are being pressed to safeguard the future of Vauxhall's in Ellesmere Port where 800 workers are directly employed in addition to thousands of jobs in businesses linked to the factory.
Stellantis bosses are being urged to earmark Vauxhall's as its chosen site to build a fleet of electric vehicles.
Mr Tavares said talks had been "extremely positive and productive" but more was needed from the Government to safeguard the plant's future while in the Commons Mr Kwarteng confirmed "very positive discussions" with the company, adding he hoped to make an announcement in the next few months.
Ellesmere Port and Neston MP Justin Madders again spoke about the future of Vauxhall's in Parliament on Tuesday, May 18, during a ministerial statement by Mr Kwarteng on the 'Ten Point Plan - Six Months On'.
He told Mr Kwarteng: "There were some positive comments from the chief executive of Stellantis yesterday (Monday, May 17) to the effect that things were moving in the right direction but we were not quite there yet.
"May I take this opportunity to remind the Secretary of State that Cheshire West and Chester Council and the Local Enterprise Partnership have been working very closely with civil servants over the past few months to make sure that the right deal is in place.
"They stand ready to do anything else they can to get this thing over the line, which is what we all want to see."
The Secretary of State said he was conscious of the work Mr Madders has done "to get this over the line", adding: "I was gratified to see Mr Tavares' comments yesterday and I think we are in a reasonable place.
"We obviously need to work very hard together to get it over the line, but the situation in Ellesmere Port is moving in a positive direction."
Earlier in the debate Greg Clark, who chairs the Commons Science and Technology Select Committee, said "Point 4 of the Ten Point Plan refers to the need for large-scale battery factories for electric vehicles - sometimes called gigafactories.
"They need to be up and running within five years, so will the Secretary of State update the House as to where we are in securing them?
"Will he also comment on the state of discussions about the future of Vauxhall at Ellesmere Port, with its ambitions to build electric vehicles there?"
Mr Kwarteng said he was pleased Mr Clark had referred to the opportunities represented by gigafactories.
"There are conversations as we speak between people who are making batteries and the car makers; clearly, the dynamic between the auto manufacturers and the people who will be making the batteries is an important one. I hope to make a positive announcement about that soon," he said.
"In relation to Ellesmere Port, there are very positive discussions with Stellantis. I am very much engaged with this matter and we are particularly hopeful that we can make some movement in the summer on this too."
Speaking at a Financial Times Future of the Car Summit last week, Mr Tavares said he was waiting for the Government to approve certain measures before the final investment decision can be made. That would see investment into the plant, giving it the capability to manufacture new models of electric vehicles.
He said: "What I want to say for Ellesmere Port is that so far things are moving in the right direction, but we cannot conclude until we have the approvals from the relevant administrations who actually have the power to say yes or no.
"We are now expecting that a certain number of approvals will be given by the UK administration."
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