THE decision by Vestas to pull out of manufacturing on the Isle of Wight has prompted a stinging attack by one of the Island’s leading politicians.
Speaking at a meeting of the Isle of Wight Council’s cabinet this week, Cllr George Brown said the closure of the plant had dealt a body blow to the Island’s economy in the worst recession in living memory.
Cllr Brown, the cabinet member for the economy said: "The decision of the Vestas board in Denmark has put skilled, stable and motivated people out of work.
"Confusing, if not conflicting statements about the group’s future employment intentions on three sites, St Cross, Venture Quays and the planned research and development centre at Stag Lane, leave us with only one certainty, there will be no commercial Vestas blade manufacturing on the Island before 2015.
"Whichever way one looks at it, the Vestas decision has removed the high hundreds of jobs from our economy, directly and indirectly."
Last week, the Island’s MP, Andrew Turner, and the Isle of Wight’s council leader, Cllr David Pugh, wrote to the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) asking that Vestas’s St Cross plant is released by the Danish company before £6m of public money is used to support its new research and development facility at Stag Lane, currently owned by SEEDA. In a hard-hitting joint letter to SEEDA, they also highlighted the shortage of wharves on the Isle of Wight available for current and future economic development.
They said: "Under current plans, Vestas will have use, in some cases exclusive use, of three of only five sites on the River Medina capable of handling seagoing cargos, when Stag Lane is completed."
• A national day of action to support redundant Vestas workers has been planned for Thursday, September 17.
Reporter: davidn@iwcpmail.co.uk