Growing up near to Sheffield and having a father who worked in one of the steel rolling mills in Sheffield I have always kept one eye on developments in the UK Steel industry. In this session of Parliament few subjects have been debated more than the future of the steel industry.
With falling demand across the World, high energy costs, China exporting the steel it does not need for its domestic markets at sale prices lower than the UK cost price has led to a series of closures. Today the future of the Tata plant in South Wales is in the balance as it is discussed at a board meeting in India. It would be difficult to blame them if they decided to cease production. If they are subsidising the plant from elsewhere in the group they might not see any value in continuing that subsidy. Either way it is a deeply worrying time for all those employed at the plant and their families. I know how they feel as my Dad lost his job when the rolling mill he worked in was shut down at the start of the 1980’s.
David Nuttall 