'Stupid' decision to close Wolverhampton's Sandvik factory

South Staffordshire MP Gavin Williamson has branded the move by Sandvik to shut its Featherstone base as 'stupid'.

The company announced the site would be shut last week because it needed to cut back. Mr Williamson said: "It's incredibly sad and a short sighted and a stupid move by the company and shows a total lack of commitment to the UK.

"I have already written to the chief executive, firstly asking him to reconsider their decision, but also to make sure the proper resources are in place to support the workforce at this incredibly difficult time."

He said the workforce have highly transferable skills and he hoped they would be able to get jobs at other businesses who are coming to the area, such as at the i54 business park site.

He said: "We need to get clarity as to what is going to happen with the site, and what action is going to be taken to get another employer at that site.

"Hopefully, they will create jobs that are sustainable."

Councillor Frank Beardsmore, who represents Featherstone on South Staffordshire Council, also said the move was disappointing.

He said: "It is disappointing that the jobs aren't just leaving Featherstone but that they are leaving the country as well.

"They are keeping the factory in Halesowen open so I hope that some of the workers can be relocated there.

"There are a lot of people who either still work there or have worked there from Featherstone.

"I have had family members work there in the past. It has been a good employer of local people in the village.

"The only hope we have is that there are jobs coming in to the i54 site and they can get jobs there."

He said the factory had been on the site since 1932 and was taken over by Sandvik in 1981. The company informed its employees last week that it was expected the base would close by the end of the year. A consultation has begun into the plans for the site in Cat and Kittens Lane.

The firm makes cutting edges for tools and machines, but bosses say they need to cut back on production and costs. The Featherstone factory has the smallest production volume of any of its European plants.

Officials from the Unite union have also urged the company to rethink its plans, with regional officer Andy Taylor describing it as a 'hammer blow' to the workforce, their families, the West Midlands economy and manufacturing capacity in the UK generally. Its Hard Materials site in Coventry has not been hit by the move.