Scottish legislator David Mundell. (Photo: Twitter)

Scottish Government urged to take over Pinneys factory

UNITED KINGDOM
Saturday, July 28, 2018, 03:20 (GMT + 9)

The Scottish Government ensures it remains "absolutely committed" to looking at all options for the future of Pinneys seafood factory, in Annan, facing closure.

Such statement was made in response to the request expressed by David Mundell, the MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale and his son, the Dumfriesshire constituency MSP Oliver Mundell, for the Government to buy the plant, The National reported.

Owners’ Young’s Seafood has announced it is closing the Annan factory, with the loss of 450 permanent jobs and a large number of agency posts.

The Mundells expressed the warning with the withdrawal of an expression of interest in the Stapleton Road site by cooked meat producers Brown Brothers.

“The last thing Annan needs after losing so many jobs is to have a large boarded up factory at the entrance to the town being left to slowly deteriorate,” pointed out David Mundell.

“We are writing to the Scottish Government calling on them to take on the ownership, management and marketing of the Pinneys site after Young’s leave,” he stated.

The parliamentarian claims that as their contribution to the community, Young’s must release the site at a knock down price and that the new South of Scotland Enterprise Agency or Scottish Enterprise should then promote or redevelop the factory.

He added: “A proactive approach is needed if we are going to get jobs, in whatever form, back on the site.”

For his part, Oliver Mundell pointed to a previous intervention to save a business, saying: “The speed and scale of this number of redundancies in a relatively small town like Annan is devastating, both to those involved and the wider economy."

“The Scottish Government has taken on sites in such situations before. In the case of loss-making Prestwick Airport they bought the business as well as facilitating financial support to other companies,” he recalled.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Government said that it was looking at “every possibility” for the future of the site.

According to a spokesperson from the Government, work is being carried out to identify and support any potential new investor to the site and it was announced that GBP 250,000 would be granted to help with the delivery of the Annan Action Plan and regenerate the local area following the closure of Pinneys.

On the other hand, labour's south of Scotland MSP Colin Smyth said he thought the site should be handed over by Young's with no suggestion of any payment being made for it.

"I think there would be anger from workers at Pinneys toward politicians saying that taxpayers money should go to Young's Seafood and which would allow them to profit from these job losses," he said.

He also stressed that both governments should also designate Enterprise Area status, which would entitle local businesses to claim 100 per cent business rates relief, provide allowances for capital investment, a more streamlined planning process and support with skills and training.
 

Related article:

- Young's Seafood confirms Scottish plant closure

[email protected]
www.seafood.media

Print