Thamesteel

County Hall taskforce to meet for first time this week

A taskforce has been set up in the corridors of power at County Hall in a bid to find a way forward after the closure of the Thamesteel plant in Sheerness and the loss of 350 jobs.

The steel firm went into administration last month with 350 of the 400 staff being told they were being made redundant. The remaining 50 were kept while administrators look to sell on the plant.

So far some 20 expressions of interest have been received, spawning hopes some jobs could be salvaged.

Thanesteel was one of Sheppey’s biggest employers and has been on the site in various guises since the early 1970s.

Now Kent County Council has convened a new taskforce which will meet for the first time tomorrow - Tuesday.

It will be chaired by Kevin Lynes, the KCC cabinet member for regeneration and economic development.

Cllr Lynes said: “Clearly this is terrible news and very difficult for the workers, their families and the local economy.

“Since the announcement was made by the administrators, we have been working together with Swale Borough Council in talking to Government and all the key agencies about the situation. This is why we have convened a Taskforce to look at the way forward and we have invited all relevant parties to the meeting, including the local MP, to receive an update on the situation.

“We will also discuss the next steps, including how we support the workers and work with the administrators to secure the future of the steelworks and the wider economy.”