THE announcement that Spennymoor’s Remploy factory is to close will come as a body blow for the people who work there and for the town (Echo, Mar 9).

Most of the workers who were made redundant in the last wave of closures are still unemployed.

These Remploy factories are already in areas of heavy unemployment. The chances of the employees getting new jobs would have been difficult under the best of circumstances, but given the present economic situation it will be well near impossible.

I attended the International Day of Disabled People at Remploy in Spennymoor last year. The workforce makes electronic components for many companies, including the RAF.

Work gives the employees a sense of purpose, value and independence that they would not get if they were simply claiming benefits.

Maybe if local authorities had placed contracts with Remploy this closure may not have been necessary.

Instead of the workers at Remploy working and paying income tax and national insurance they will be thrown on the dole.

This Government is making the weakest in society bear the brunt of the cuts because they are an easy target.

Coun Martin Jones (Lib Deb), Spennymoor Town Council.