Hucknall councillor calls for guarantees on Rolls-Royce jobs

Coun David Shaw, who represents Hucknall West on Nottinghamshire County Council and Hucknall North on Ashfield District Council for the Ashfield Independents, said it was ‘devastating’ to see the Rolls-Royce branding being removed from the site after it was sold to ITP Aero.

But ITP Aero is also owned by Rolls-Royce – and is itself up for sale as Rolls-Royce wants to remove it from its portfolio.

This means there are no long-term guarantees for workers at the Hucknall site, despite ITP Aero saying this week that all jobs would be retained, as there is no guarantee the new owners of ITP Aero – and therefore the Hucknall site – will want to continue production for Rolls-Royce in the town.

Coun Shaw said: “As a former employee at Rolls-Royce, I have real concerns about the job security for the 650 workers at the former Rolls-Royce factory in Hucknall.

"It is a huge worry that there are no contractual guarantees for the new owners of ITP Aero.

"It is devastating to see the Rolls-Royce branding being removed from their factory.

"Rolls-Royce is as synonymous with Hucknall as Lord Byron.

"First and foremost, however, is that we need a strong assurance that whoever buys ITP Aero, a subsidiary company of Rolls-Royce, secures the jobs which help ensure prosperity, which is critical for Hucknall.”