A North East MP has called for an end to a row that could threaten the future of the former Britishvolt site in Northumberland.
Ian Lavery, Labour MP for Wansbeck, says talks between the new Australian owners and Northumberland County Council have stalled, threatening future plans that could bring 9,000 jobs.
Britishvolt had high ambitions of building a nearly £4 billion battery plant in Cambois and hopes had been high for the start-up, but it never managed to secure enough funding for the project.
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Earlier this year, Recharge Industries was selected by auditors for Britishvolt as the preferred bidder to take over the majority of the business, with Recharge Industries founder David Collard saying: “We’re thrilled to be progressing with our proposed bid for Britishvolt and can’t wait to get started making a reality of our plans to build the UK’s first gigafactory."
Recharge, which was founded in 2022, hopes to build a gigafactory of its own close to Melbourne in Australia, but the company is still in the early days of the project.
Mr Lavery told the Commons: "Recharge Industries, the organisation that bought out Britishvolt, is committed to building a gigafactory on the Britishvolt site in Cambois in my constituency.
"However, there is a huge issue with Northumberland County Council relating to a buyback proposal on the land of the proposed gigafactory.
"Will the Minister please intervene to facilitate discussions between all parties to ensure that we are not let down again at the site in Cambois, and that Recharge Industries gets every support it needs from the Government to build that gigafactory and bring 9,000 jobs to the North East?
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Nusrat Ghani Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade) replied: "We are pleased that Britishvolt has been successfully acquired. We know that investment supports high-quality jobs in industries of the future, and we are determined to ensure that the UK remains one of the best locations.
"We look forward to learning more about the Recharge Industries plans, and we continue to work closely with the local authority—it is not a Government decision—to ensure the best outcome for the site."
The Minister said she would 'do her best' to help out and offered to meet Mr Lavery for a briefing.
A spokesperson for Northumberland County Council said: "We are continuing to work closely with representatives of Recharge on a range of financial and legal points associated with this significant transaction and investment into our county.
"The future prosperity of this site is vitally important to us as a council, as well as the local area, the wider county and the North East region."
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