Leeming at risk

● 490,000 public sector jobs to go

THE fate of RAF Leeming, and thousands of jobs, was thrown into doubt last night as the country braced itself for the biggest public spending cuts in living memory.

The Northern Echo can reveal that the base, near Bedale, North Yorkshire, is one of three facing closure as a result of the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).

The revelation came as the nation prepares for today’s Comprehensive Spending Review that will lead to 490,000 public sector job losses In an embarrassing gaffe, Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, accidentally disclosed the figure when he inadvertently allowed two pages of the spending review to be photographed as he left the Treasury building.

In the North-East, the review could mean 43,000 people lose their jobs, according to a report by accountants PwC.

The study found that the regions likely to suffer the most are the North-East, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, because of their heavy dependence on the public sector.

Prime Minister David Cameron announced the results of the Defence Review ahead of today’s public sector cuts.

He said the changes – which will cut defence spending by eight per cent over four years – will cost about 42,000 jobs.

Of those, 25,000 will be civilian posts and 7,000 in the Army. Both the RAF and Navy will lose 5,000 posts.

The withdrawal of Nimrod MRA4 and Harrier, as well as the reduction in size of the Tornado fleet, will mean that Kinloss, in Scotland, and two other bases will no longer be required by the RAF.

The Northern Echo understands RAF Leeming, as well as Lossiemouth, in Scotland, and Wittering, in Cambridgeshire, could be closed.

However, no decisions have been taken and it is possible the RAF bases could be taken over by the Army as the Ministry of Defence closes its bases in Germany.

The North Yorkshire base employs about 1,900 people, including 190 civilians.

The base is home to No 100 Squadron which flies Hawk trainer aircraft.

Leeming’s last Tornado fighter squadron left in 2008, prompting fears for its survival.

Bedale Mayor Bob Pocklington said the potential closure of RAF Leeming would be a double blow.

He said: “Commercially, the area would lose out, because businesses that supply RAF Leeming would lose a lot of income.

“There is quite a large population at Leeming, as well as many civilian staff who live in nearby towns and villages.

“Socially, we would also be worse off if the base was to close, as quite a lot of RAF personnel play an active role in the community. So we would lose out on two fronts.”

Councillor Neville Huxtable, leader of Hambleton District Council, said: “A lot of people are employed there and we would have to work very hard to help them.”

Mr Cameron announced that tanks and heavy artillery numbers would be reduced by 40 per cent. The total number of the Navy’s frigates and destroyers would drop from 23 to 19 by 2020 – leaving Britain with the smallest fleet in 300 years.

However, Mr Cameron said the Government would complete the production of six Type-45 destroyers, as well as Astute Class hunter-killer submarines.

Aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal will be decommissioned, according to the SDSR.

The review revealed that some of the thousands of service men and women to lose their jobs would “leave through redundancy”.

Durham North MP Kevan Jones, the former Defence Minister, seized on that admission, saying: “That means they will be sacking people in all our constituencies.”

The MP also pointed to confusion over a £300m-a-year cut to service and civilian personal allowances by 2015. No details were given.

As expected, the review rescued contracts, including several held by North-East companies, to help build aircraft carriers – while admitting one will be mothballed three years after being built.

Mr Cameron confirmed the Government would press ahead with £5.2bn plans to build HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales.

But he was scathing about the “appalling legacy” left by Labour, which meant it was too late for the MoD to cancel the second carrier.

And he announced that HMS Queen Elizabeth would be put into “extended readiness”

– effectively mothballed.

Behind the scenes, Government sources have suggested the carrier could be sold to another country, to recoup some of the cost of building it.

Announcing the decision, Mr Cameron told MPs: “There’s only one thing worse than spending money you don’t have. That’s buying the wrong things with it – and doing so in the wrong way.

“They signed contracts, so we were left in a situation where even cancelling the second carrier would cost more.”

Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham said: “The good news on the aircraft carriers will secure jobs on Teesside.

But it came alongside the extremely bad news that jobs in the Army, Navy, Air Force and MoD have been axed."