Tata Steel / Port Talbot Transition Board Statement
The second Tata Steel / Port Talbot Transition Board meeting took place in Port Talbot on 30 November 2023.
Close-up image of steel being cast
The Tata Steel / Port Talbot Transition Board met for the second time on Thursday 30 November at the company’s Port Talbot site, where it agreed the remit and membership of the two sub-groups for People, Skills, and Business; and for Place and Regeneration. The sub-groups will mobilise local partners and gather information on a range of support programmes, recommending courses of actions to the Transition Board on which the £100m can be invested to build resilience and confidence in Port Talbot and affected areas.
David TC Davies, Secretary of State for Wales chairs the Transition Board, while Vaughan Gething, Minister for the Economy of Wales, and Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, are deputy chairs. The Board members include Nusrat Ghani, Minister for Industry and Economic Security; Henrik Adam, Chair of Tata Steel UK; Rajesh Nair, Chief Executive Officer of Tata Steel UK; Cllr Steve Hunt, Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council; Stephen Kinnock, MP for Aberavon; and David Rees, MS for Aberavon. The Board also welcomed two new independent members, Katherine Bennett CBE and Anne Jessopp. Representatives from the trade unions also attend.
The next meeting of the Transition Board will be held early next year.
Statement from Chair of the Tata Steel / Port Talbot transition Board and Secretary of State for Wales, David TC Davies:
I am pleased that the UK Government has been able to find a way to ensure that steel continues to be produced in South Wales.
However it is vital that we do everything possible to support people who may be impacted as a result of Tata’s decision.
-ends-
NOTES TO EDITORS
Tata Steel announced proposals in September to invest £1.25 billion, including a UK Government grant worth up to £500 million, to enable greener steel production at Port Talbot. A Transition Board to support the people, businesses and communities affected by the proposed transition to low-CO₂ steelmaking, was established in October.
The Transition Board will have access to up to £100 million to invest in skills and regeneration programmes for the local area. It will focus on:
- Immediate support for the people, businesses and communities directly affected by the proposed transition to low-CO₂ steelmaking at Port Talbot; and
- A plan for local regeneration and economic growth for the next decade.
The Transition Board does not oversee the proposed £1.25bn investment in low-CO₂ steelmaking at Tata Steel UK. This is for the company to oversee with the Department for Business and Trade, UK Government.