The Fight For Teesside's Steel Industry Is Not Over Yet, Say Councillors
Emotions ran high at last night's council meeting in Middlesbrough - as members brought the region's steel crisis to the floor.
Emotions ran high at last night's council meeting in Middlesbrough - as members brought the region's steel crisis to the floor.
Councillors debated an urgent motion showcasing their support for SSI steelworkers and calling for a public inquiry into how the situation was handled.
They've drafted 13 questions for the government to answer, including how long they new about the impending problems at the Redcar site, and why it took only ten days to decide to close the site.
Members of the chamber held up Save Our Steel banners as the chair of the meeting entered their room, and one councillor shed tears when speaking emotionally about the impact the closure could have on the region.
It has only been three days since the Official Receiver announced that no viable buyer had been found for the site and that the coke ovens would need to close completely.
Unlike five years ago, this means the ovens will be irreparably destroyed and steel-making on Teesside will almost definitely come to an end.
It's believed around 470 people in Middlesbrough will be directly affected by the site closure, with thousands more affected in the supply chain.
Deputy Mayor Charlie Rooney put the motion forward, he told TFM there are still too many unanswered questions.
He said: "I was very very disappointed and surprised when the receiver had only been in there 10 days or so and made the momentous decision.
"I think we're not being told things.
"That's why MPs and ourselves are asking for a public inquiry into this, there's a lot we're not being told.
"I think it was known about earlier than we were told."
But some members of the public in the viewing areas felt that the meeting came too late to make any real difference.
Eighty-two-year-old Dennis Lane worked for the steel industry in Teesside for over 30 years and says steelworkers of the past would be turning in their graves.
He said: "They've been let down.
"To tell you the truth, I'm very emotional about it.
"Steel is in my blood, I was a union official for 20 years.
"I reckon there'll a million pound less a week spent in Teesside."
The government will be holding a steel summit on Friday, October 16, where councillors in Middlesbrough hope they will get some answers.