Chancellor George Osborne has announced plans for the creation of new enterprise zones on land at BAE Systems’ Lancashire and Yorkshire factories, in the wake of the defence firm’s decision to cut its workforce.
A zone will be created on land at two factories in Warton and Samlesbury, near Preston in Lancashire, where BAE Systems will cut 1,400 jobs. Osborne also announced plans to create a zone at BAE Systems’ site in Brough in East Yorkshire, where 900 jobs are to be cut.
A bid by Lancashire’s local enterprise partnership for a zone was turned down in August. The LEP had submitted a bid for an advanced engineering and manufacturing zone on 600 acres of land at the Preston site.
Speaking at the Conservative party conference in Manchester, Osborne said: “This government does not stand on the sidelines when things like this happen, to BAE or any other company. We get in there, we roll up our sleeves and take action to help local people get back to work.”
daniel.cunningham@estatesgazette.com
