Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Fighting fund is launched to keep Honda in Swindon
Council stumps up £200k but says help is needed from the Government:
A FIGHTING fund to keep Honda in Swindon has been set up by Swindon Borough Council.
Members agreed to add £200,000 to the authority’s budget in response to the devastating news of the South Marston plant’s closure in 2021.
And the cabinet member who has been appointed as the council’s lead member on Honda, Cllr Oliver Donachie, says the government needs to wheel out its biggest guns.
He said while the council can have a positive effect, what he really wanted to see was significant action from central government.
“While this [£200,000] will allow us to do useful and important work immediately, I think we will need a lot more money from central government. This affects 3,500 people and many more in the wider economy.
“What I really want to see is someone from government, as senior a person as possible, get onto the plane and go to Japan.
“They need to look Honda in the eye and talk very seriously about what needs to be done to keep Honda working here.”
Cllr Donachie, who is the cabinet member for economic development, explained that a new free trade agreement between the EU and Japan made making cars in Japan advantageous: “There used to be a 10 per cent bonus if a car came from Swindon and was sold in Europe; now there’s a 10 per cent margin making it in Japan.
“Someone from government needs to go to the Japanese government and Honda and say what do we need to do to keep the plant here working?”
The department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said it could not comment on the matter. When the Secretary of State for
Business Greg Clark hosted a meeting in Swindon on Wednesday he said he was backing Unite, the plant’s main trade union, in its plan to persuade Honda to keep the site working.
Mr Clark visited Japan for talks about investment with the government and businesses last October.