Welsh Secretary Claims £80m Tata Worker Fund Was ‘Unfunded’

The Welsh secretary has asserted that an £80 million transition fund, intended to assist 2,800 redundant Tata steel workers, was “unfunded” by the preceding Conservative administration. Jo Stevens stated that upon assuming office, Labour ministers discovered the money announced by the UK government “didn’t exist” and “could not be found.” David TC Davies, the former Conservative Welsh secretary, dismissed this assertion, alleging that Stevens was attempting to deflect attention. However, personnel at the Wales Office have verified that the transition fund lacked funding. Stevens informed BBC Politics Wales on Sunday, “I was then able to persuade Treasury to specifically confirm £80m worth of funding and the £20m regeneration scheme for Port Talbot town centre in the Budget.” She further stated that she secured the release of £13.5 million during the summer, “which meant we could set up those funds to help supply chain business and workers in the supply chain who were affected.” The £80 million was officially confirmed in Labour’s October Budget. The transition fund had initially been announced in September 2023 by Kemi Badenoch, who was then the Business and Trade secretary and is now the Conservative party leader. She has been requested to provide a comment. The overall transition funding comprises £80 million from the UK government and £20 million from Tata, designated for coordinating assistance and training opportunities for the impacted workforce. The Community union commented: “The revelation that the previous Conservative government had not properly allocated funding for the £80m they promised to the transition board at Port Talbot is shocking.” Alun Davies, Community’s national officer for steel, stated that it “speaks to the previous government’s total disregard for the future of the steelworkers and communities impacted by the deal they struck with Tata.” When asked to address Jo Stevens’ remarks, David TC Davies, who previously held the position of secretary of state for Wales, asserted: “The transition board was fully funded.” He added, “This is an attempt by the secretary of state to divert attention away from the impact the Budget is going to have on small businesses and farms.” The UK government issued a statement: “The new government has been clear it was handed a challenging inheritance, with £22 billion of unfunded in-year spending pressures.” It further specified: “One of these unfunded commitments was £80m for the Tata Steel Port Talbot Transition Board.” The statement concluded: “Following the 30 October Budget, the Transition Board is now fully funded and will continue its work to support workers and businesses affected.” Further details on Politics Wales are accessible on iPlayer. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.