Given the government is most unlikely to nationalise the Vestas plant to save jobs for the Island, Labour Cllr Geoff Lumley approached the Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change, Ed Miliband MP, on Tuesday.
Geoff wanted to explore the possibility of a local consortium perhaps being established to take over the plant and using new government grants to change blade production to meet UK offshore demand. He had a long phone conversation with Ed Miliband on Wednesday morning.
However, Cllr Lumley has learnt this afternoon that this is not an option that would be available to the Island primarily due to the absence of ‘assisted area’ status for the Isle of Wight.
A position that has long been bemoaned locally, but which the current IW Council has done little to address.
Geoff said, “I am massively disappointed and frustrated that there seems to be no alternative way forward at least in the short term. However, nothing has been lost by my approach and I will continue to seek ways in which these 600 jobs can be retained.”
