Council welcomes decision to ‘take control’ of steelmaking and protect thousands of jobs

North Lincolnshire Council has welcomed today’s decision for the government to take control of steelmaking.

The move should mean the raw materials to keep the blast furnaces in Scunthorpe running can now be ordered – safeguarding thousands of jobs in the region – and will mean the UK continues to produce primary steel.

The council has been calling for decisive action from the government and at a special council meeting earlier this month called for nationalisation if it was the best way to save steel making in Scunthorpe and people’s livelihoods.

Thousands of local people will be relieved at today’s news after the threat of redundancy has been hanging over their heads for weeks.

There is still some way to go to protect the steelworks, but today’s decision is a step in the right direction. The council made clear closing the steelworks would create an economic crisis and would have been a tragedy for local communities

The council will continue to work with government and do all it can to ensure the area has a long and prosperous future in which steel making is a key element.