The Secretary of State for Wales, Rt Hon Jo Stevens MP, in her role as Chair of the Transition Board sought endorsement from the Board for three regeneration projects, which will be supported with over £21.2million of Transition Board funding. These projects include:

• Advanced Manufacturing Production Facility/National Net Zero Centre of Excellence
• Redevelopment of business premises at Metal Box and Sandfields Business Centre

Today’s release of money is the sixth announcement from the UK Government’s £80m Tata Steel / Port Talbot Transition Board fund and should support over 270 jobs and add a total of over £119m Gross Value Added to the local economy over the next decade. This latest major investment means more than £70 million has been announced by the Transition Board in the last nine months.  

Investment from the Transition Board compliments UK Government’s action to secure new trade deals with the US and India, including seeking agreement to eradicate tariffs on core steel products imported into the US. This will protect tens of millions of pounds worth of steel exports from Wales every year.

The Board also received updates on:

• Tata Steel UK’s decarbonisation programme;
• The Department of Business and Trade’s plans for a steel strategy;
• Mental health and well-being interventions;
• The Transition Board funds that have already been announced, including applications received for the Supply Chain fund, and support being provided from the Employment and Skills fund.

Those in attendance included: Rt Hon Jo Stevens MP, Secretary of State for Wales; Rebecca Evans MS, Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy & Planning in the Welsh Government; Cllr Alun Llewelyn, Deputy Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council; Frances O’Brien, CEO of Neath Port Talbot Council; Stephen Kinnock, MP for Aberafan Maesteg; David Rees, MS for Aberavon; Anne Jessopp CBE & Katherine Bennett CBE, independent members of the Board; Alun Davies, National Officer for Steel & Metals, Community Union; Tom Hoyles, Politics, Press and Research Officer, GMB Wales & Jason Bartlett Regional Officer of Unite the Union Wales.

-ends-