There has been huge disappointment across Northumberland following the news that the company behind a flagship levelling up project to bring thousands of jobs to the region has gone into administration.
Britishvolt, the battery start-up that had planned to build a so-called gigafactory at Cambois near Blyth, announced it had appointed administrators on Tuesday afternoon. It followed months of uncertainty, but 11th hour talks in the hopes of finding a buyer were unsuccessful and the majority of the firm's 300 staff have been made redundant.
Coun Alex Wallace, who represents the Cambois ward on Northumberland County Council, said he was disappointed with the news - but was hopeful another company would come in to complete the project. He said: "I'm absolutely disappointed. We keep getting these false dawns, we've had them for a generation.
Read More: Britishvolt calls in administrators following failed takeover talks
"We now have a prime site and there must be people looking at it. Britishvolt has put us on the map and made Cambois internationally known. There's always someone making a fortune from other people's misfortune. It's more than fingers crossed at the moment."
Coun Wallace also reiterated the importance of the site to Cambois and the county, and hit out at the government for failing to secure Britishvolt's future. He continued: "It's not just Cambois, it's not just Northumberland - it's the whole North East. It's vital, it is transformational. Can you imagine? It's so important, 8,000 jobs in total, the wealth and growth it would bring into the area is huge.
"There is also what they wanted to do behind the plant, upskilling people, giving local people opportunities. They would be working well-paid jobs in the car industry. The problem now is we're looking at 2025 as a start, let's be realistic."
The Labour councillor also said questions needed to be asked of the county council, including how much taxpayer cash the authority had put into the project and whether the council still owned the land. He suggested he would ask the questions at Wednesday's meeting of full council.
Like Wansbeck MP Ian Lavery, who represents Cambois, Coun Wallace also criticised the Government for failing to provide funding for the site. He added: "It's the Tory doctrine, leave it to the market forces. If this Government had committed like the rest of Europe had, we wouldn't be having these conversations. It's cost a fortune to get this started, that's why you need Government money."
Conservative MP Ian Levy, who represents the neighbouring Blyth Valley ward, said he would work with Government to attract new investors to the site. Mr Levy said: "I have been a big supporter of this project to build a gigafactory on the Blyth Estuary and despite the disappointing news about British Volt I will continue to champion this opportunity.
"Our area needs this investment and the jobs that will bring and I will be asking the Government to stand by the offer of financial support from the Automotive Transformation Fund for any consortium able to put together a full package. I will work tirelessly with the Government and the Council to attract potential investors to the site to make sure a major project goes ahead.
"The UK automotive industry’s need for a battery gigafactory remains and the site on the Blyth Estuary is still the best in the country with a large area, excellent power connectivity, a deep-water port, strong workforce supply and easy access to the national road network. "
Mr Levy and Coun Wallace's hope that a new buyer for the site can be found are shared by the leader of Northumberland County Council, Glen Sanderson. In a statement, Coun Sanderson said: “This is extremely disappointing news – for all those connected with the company and those who have lost their jobs, and also those who have lost their dream of working here. It’s also a blow for the communities in and around the site, the county and the wider region.
“However it is a hugely valuable site with so much potential and the council has done everything it can over the past two years to support the company and it will continue to work with great determination to find a new investor for this site which is part of this exciting new area which has shown it can attract new hi-tech industry and high quality jobs.
“We will continue to work with Government to pursue our growth ambitions and are doing everything we can to bring forward the jobs and investment that are so important for Northumberland. When we undertook the sale of the land we took care to ensure a number of safeguards were put in place, including a buy back option on the site for our original selling price - if a battery plant is not built there.”
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