Michael Gove has said that the Government is working hard to ensure that electrical vehicles of the future will be powered by batteries made in Northumberland.
The Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities was in Blyth this afternoon (Thursday) after announcing a £20.7m investment in the town - £18m of which will go towards housing. And he declared that the Government was ready to stand behind the "right company with the right investment" after Britishvolt fell into administration, potentially taking at least 3,000 jobs with it and a £3.8 billion investment in the North East economy.
The collapse of the start-up was dubbed a Government failure by Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves on a visit to the North East last week. However, Mr Gove said today he still sees future of electrical vehicles having their batteries made in Blyth, and earlier this month ChronicleLive reported that Australian firm Recharge Industries has bought Britishvolt, and is aiming to make plans for the battery plant at Cambois a reality.
Mr Gove said: "BritishVolt as a company couldn’t make its own sums add up but we do have a brilliant site here and the Government is ready to stand behind the right company with the right investment because we do believe that a gigafactory here in Blyth would be an appropriate way of building on the skills that local people have and the edge that this town has already displayed when it comes to renewables and the future of energy. The UK government is working hard in order to ensure we can have the electrical vehicle of the future powered by British batteries and that means investment in Blyth with the right partner at the right time."
Despite the collapse of Britishvolt, the Government has now funnelled more than £50m worth of investment towards Blyth since the Blyth Valley constituency elected Ian Levy as its first Conservative MP in the 2019 election. Neighbouring Ashington, which is represented by a Labour MP, missed out on £16m worth of levelling up funding in January.
However, Mr Gove refuted that the funding was to get "crosses in boxes" at the next election and insisted that it was because Blyth is Northumberland's "most deprived town". He continued: "It's absolutely right that across Northumberland and the North East there are communities that need help with levelling up.
"One of the reasons that we've come to Blyth is because of the unique mix of both deprivation from the past because of traditional industries that have gone but also because of the potential. We're investing in Blyth because it's a community that's been overlooked and undervalued in the past."
He also cited the devolution deal, which is expected to see £4.2 billion of investment into the North East over the next 30 years, saying that resources from that would be invested into areas under Labour leadership. As well as a visit to Catapult in Blyth, Mr Gove also spent time in Blyth town centre and visited local schools and a youth club.
He claimed that some of the £200,000 will go towards "more activities to divert young people from the wrong path", while the rest will go on CCTV provision in public areas, and an action plan involving the police and local businesses. He said: "We did have the chance to talk to some people, they’re proud of Blyth, they love the town, but they did recognise that ASB is an issue."
"The Police, Police and Crime Commissioner, and local authorities will be given more powers to deal with anti-social behaviour that will mean swifter justice for people who transgress."
According to Mr Gove, the £20.7 million investment has already been "unlocked". He finished: "People in Blyth are ambitious for their town, they love it, and that’s why I will be coming back in the autumn in order to see what more progress we can make and what more can be required."
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