Frustration that no jobs have been created at former Redcar steelworks on second anniversary of production pausing

“SOME of us knew the writing was on the wall; we had an idea that things were not going as well as they had hoped.”

Tony Pidgeon is in reflective mood, sitting in the corner of a café as steam rises from his cup of coffee.

At least now, says the former coke ovens mechanical fitter, with plentiful gallows humour, they won’t have to close the train windows to avoid the smell when they pass the SSI UK works at Redcar any longer.

This excerpt comes from an interview The Northern Echo conducted earlier this year, but its gravity remains the same to this day.

SSI’s ex-base has stood empty since the company’s collapse into liquidation in 2015.

In that time, Redcar MP Anna Turley, who fought to save the works, has vowed to hold the Government’s “feet to the fire” because “not a single job has been created on the site yet”, adding “we cannot afford to see another year pass with no progress”.

Indeed, today is the second anniversary of the pause in production at SSI, which ultimately led to news the company was spiralling into terminal decline.

The closure caused thousands of job losses, both at the firm and in the local supply chain.

Argument and counter-argument ensued from both sides of the political spectrum, but what was clear was that while the Teesside business smashed a succession of production records, crucially, it never made a profit.

In the days immediately before its descent into collapse, bosses spoke candidly to The Northern Echo about their worries, warning the steel sector was stuck in a tailspin as economic woes in China and Russia forced prices dangerously lower.

Drive past the sprawling site today and you’ll see it lying dormant. There is no smoke from operations billowing into the sky, there is no smell emanating from the coke ovens, with the site standing silent as a Government-backed body oversees safety and security of assets. But there is hope.

Regeneration body Tees Valley Combined Authority has created the South Tees Development Corporation (STDC), which was officially launched last month by Prime Minister Theresa May.

It centres upon a blueprint of creating more than 20,000 jobs on swathes of redundant land, including SSI’s former base, to attract new businesses and investment, and, crucially, create much-needed jobs.

The STDC, which is the first mayoral development corporation outside of London, was borne out of a previous devolution deal and aims to transform a 4,500-acre area, including the idle steelworks and surrounding sites, into a thriving business hub.

Speaking to the Echo, Mrs May said people must now “look to the future” following the steel operator’s 2015 demise, adding Downing Street did not abandon the area during the business’ painful final throes as has been claimed by some in the region.

Led by Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen, the project is a key part of a devolution deal that has handed local leaders power to shape the region’s destiny alongside Government investment.

Revealing his ambitions, Mr Houchen said the immediate future looks bright, citing MGT Power’s decision to build a £650m biomass plant at Teesport and British Steel’s move to take a 50 per cent holding in the Redcar Bulk Terminal, which sits close to the company’s Teesside Beam Mill, as signs of confidence in the area.

He also said the plans can be a catalyst for fresh growth amid trading uncertainty caused by Brexit.

He said: “I urge companies looking to invest in the UK to come up to Redcar and see for themselves the fantastic infrastructure, good transport connections and local highly-skilled workforce in its catchment area.

“As we negotiate our exit from the EU, our plans offer an exciting opportunity for Teesside to access new international markets, bringing inward investment into the area.

“British Steel has already made a commitment and the world’s largest dedicated biomass energy plant is being constructed.

“These projects, and many more in our inward investment pipeline, demonstrate the level of our ambition for the area and are tangible evidence of the economic benefits that devolution is already bringing to Tees Valley.”

Mrs May, who was taken on a boat trip along the River Tees during her visit, was equally positive, saying it was time to write a new chapter in the region’s industrial environment.

“When I first became Prime Minister, I was very clear”, she said. “I said on the steps of Number Ten I want a country that works for everyone and that means a country where we see economic growth and prosperity and good jobs for people around the whole of the UK and that includes the Tees Valley.

“The STDC is an important part of delivering that.

“We see it as a crucial part of bringing economic growth and regeneration to the Tees Valley. This site has significant potential and it is about encouraging growth here, and that will be from a variety of sectors. What is important now is that we look to the future and this site does have potential for the future.

“I would hope that people would see there are already some interesting and exciting businesses here. I’ve heard about PD Ports and how they have been expanding and about the various chemical sites using this area too, so we can already see the potential for jobs. What the SDTC will do will fit in with the Government’s wider modern industrial strategy.”

However, while the Government and Mr Houchen talk of their plans, there are others who are more vocal in calling for swift action.

Ms Turley, and fellow Labour MP Andy McDonald, who represents Middlesbrough, are just two of those voices.

The pair previously fired broadsides at the Government for having “zero clue on Teesside” and leaving the SSI site a “visible symbol of its failure to save Teesside steel”, adding the region wouldn’t need such drastic action if Downing Street had acted with greater gumption when SSI began to unravel.

Ahead of the two-year anniversary of production pausing at the works, Ms Turley said the scars of the steel company’s collapse remain deep and painful, highlighting the difficulties faced by former workers and their families.

She said: “To now be two years on from the loss of the steelworks in Redcar, my immediate thoughts are with those families who have felt the stress and strain of their redundancy every single day since. While many of the 3,000 people who lost their jobs have secured new work, there are still families who are struggling to make ends meet.

“Ex-steelworkers are still coming to my surgeries and visiting the local citizens’ advice bureau with problems on low pay, personal debt and mortgages arrears. People are still struggling to find any work, let alone work that pays as well as jobs in the steelworks did.

“It is heartbreaking that 24 months later the situation has barely moved forward for these families. They can’t be forgotten and left to struggle on without any support. Teesside steelworkers have been hit again with changes to their pensions too; paying for their industry twice to keep other steel jobs in the country.

“There is still a lot of uncertainty and unanswered questions for these workers and they need to be properly supported. Site regeneration is so important for bringing jobs back. I expect the mayor to be doing everything in his power to deliver this, and lobbying his Government to fulfil their responsibility to Teesside. It is frustrating that not a single job has been created on the site yet and we can’t afford more delays or complacency.

“Having left it in this state, they have a responsibility to clean it up and bring decent, well-paid jobs back for Teesside workers and businesses as soon as possible. We cannot afford to see another year pass with no progress.”