Euan Stainbank MP welcomes additional £14.5m for Grangemouth and urges Government to act fast
Falkirk MP Euan Stainbank has welcomed the UK Government’s impending announcement of an additional £14.5 million for Grangemouth in the Chancellor's budget but warned that the future of the site — and the community it supports — cannot be secured without urgent deployment of the £200 million previously pledged from the National Wealth Fund.
The refinery at Grangemouth ceased operations in April after a century of production, with around 400 workers made redundant and uncertainty still hanging over the site’s long-term future. While the additional funding is expected to be directed towards new jobs on-site, Mr Stainbank stressed that this money must be followed by rapid, decisive action to deliver new jobs.
Mr Stainbank said: “The additional £14.5 million is welcome — and it is a direct result of months of campaigning by Scottish Labour MPs and our trade unions. But it is only a start.
“With 400 workers already made redundant, what happens next cannot be left solely to private capital. The £200 million from the National Wealth Fund must now be deployed urgently to secure a government stake in future projects in Grangemouth and deliver the certainty that our community and workforce deserve.
“We need a clean energy industry at Grangemouth — whether that is sustainable aviation fuel production, biorefining, or other technologies — that builds on the world-class industrial skills of workers in Falkirk, Grangemouth, and across the Forth Valley.
“And above all, we need clear direction on the future of the site in 2025.”