Labour are playing games with West Cumbria’s future. Not content with holding West Cumbria back for decades, they continue to prove they don’t care about employment and growth in West Cumbria.
One of their first acts in Government was to drop their defence of the planning decision to allow a private company to build the Woodhouse Colliery, with no taxpayer subsidy required. The judge has now put that decision back on Angela Rayners desk.
The mine at Woodhouse would bring in £165m investment, much needed investment in infrastructure, well paid jobs, apprenticeships and huge opportunities for local supply chain.
The business case for the Cumbria Coast Line upgrades is predicated on the additional freight from the mine.
If we don’t mine coking coal here - which is required for our steel industry, among others, for the foreseeable future - then we import it from countries like Russia. Shipping it halfway round the world, from countries with dubious environmental records.
Not only that, we have a source of coking coal right here on Europe's doorstep. We can mine it here, closer to where it's used, and play a part in reducing global emissions.
Coking coal is required for steel making, and there is currently NO alternative - on a commercial scale or otherwise. But it’s also used in cement and in electric vehicle batteries.
Take this opportunity to support growth in West Cumbria - and tell Labour to #BackTheMine here 👇
