‘Not the end of Halewood’ says NWDA
THE Northwest Regional Development Agency has underlined its support for Jaguar Land Rover, which yesterday announced it is to axe 300 jobs at its Halewood plant.
The company said it is ceasing production of its X-Type car in December and the redundancies would be voluntary.
It blamed the ongoing weakness of the market for the decision and did not rule out further action, adding that it expects to shutdown the plant for at least three weeks, before the end of the year.
Steven Broomhead, chief executive of the NWDA, said that it is making assurances that everything will be done to ensure the long term survival of the Halewood plant.
He said: “Looking ahead, the factory is well positioned to manufacture the new Range Rover which is based on the LRX concept, so this is not the end of Halewood by a long shot.
“Earlier this year Jaguar Land Rover was offered a £27m grant by Department for Business, to support the investment needed for LRX production at Halewood. We understand that the company is hoping to make a final decision on this product, later in the year.
“Jaguar Land Rover has stated that the ability to draw-down a €340m European Investment Bank Loan is one of the factors involved in this decision making process. We are hopeful that these negotiations will lead to a successful outcome.”
Mr Broomhead added: “The loss of 300 voluntary jobs is very disappointing and sad news for the region. It is important though not to get carried away with this news. The NWDA is also making assurances with management that everything will be done to help the long term survival and success of Jaguar Land Rover at Halewood.”
