Secretary of State for Scotland, David Mundell and his MSP son Oliver are asking the Scottish Government to buy the processor in Annan to save it from imminent closure.
Young’s Seafood announced the closure of the Pinneys of Scotland plant in Annan in April with the loss of 450 jobs.
David and Oliver Mundell say the Scottish Government must step in and buy the #Pinneys site in #Annan after Young’s leave the town. pic.twitter.com/mc9v49Lq2o
— kathryn samson (@kathsamsonitv) July 26, 2018
David Mundell the MP for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale and his son, the Dumfriesshire constituency MSP Oliver Mundell, have joined forces to save the largest employer in Annan, calling upon the government to step in, as reported in ITN news.
An expression of interest by cooked and sliced meat producers, Brown Brothers, was withdrawn.
David Mundell said: “The last thing Annan needs after losing so many jobs is to have a large boarded up factory at the entrance to the town being left to slowly deteriorate.
“We are writing to the Scottish Government calling on them to take on the ownership, management and marketing of the Pinneys site after Young’s leave.
“As their contribution to the community, we are asking Young’s to release the site at a knock down price. The new South of Scotland Enterprise Agency or Scottish Enterprise should then promote or redevelop the factory.”
He added: “A proactive approach is needed if we are going to get jobs, in whatever form, back on the site.”
“The speed and scale of this number of redundancies in a relatively small town like Annan is devastating, both to those involved and the wider economy.
“The Scottish Government has taken on sites in such situations before. In the case of loss-making Prestwick Airport they bought the business as well as facilitating financial support to other companies.”
The Scottish Government said last night that it was looking at “every possibility” for the future of the site.
SalmonBusiness reported that a jobs fair had held to support staff facing lay offs at the Scottish former plant.
In the statement, the Scottish Government added: “We have been working to identify and support any potential new investor to the site and last week announced £250,000 to help with the delivery of the Annan Action Plan and regenerate the local area following the closure of Pinneys. Our experienced multi-agency Partnership for Action on Continuing Employment (PACE) helped support a dedicated jobs fair in the town last week and we remain absolutely committed to exploring all possible options for the site and are working hard to try and achieve a positive outcome in this regard.”
