SSI Task Force One Year On Report - September 2016

September 23rd 2016

Foreword by Amanda Skelton, Chair of the SSI Task Force and Chief Executive of Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council.

The closure of SSI was a devastating event for workers, their families and the wider community. Overnight, 170 years of steel making came to an end which resulted in mass unemployment, financial hardship and a shared sense of grief at the loss of our heritage.

Last September I was asked by Government to set up and chair a Task Force to offer help and support to those affected by the closure. This document sets out the work, and the outcomes, of the Task Force over the last year. I would like to pay tribute to all the affected workers and their families for the positive way they have responded to adversity. Their strength, resilience and determination is truly inspirational. They have been open and flexible to finding work and undertaking training. The entrepreneurial spirit demonstrated has been remarkable, with over 170 people starting new businesses in the last year. Many have created their own informal networks to support and help each other through this difficult time.

I would like to personally thank all of the Task Force members across the public and private sector for their excellent fast-paced partnership. Their approach has helped create unprecedented flexibilities to funding and ensure support has been tailored to the needs of the workers and their families. Much progress has been made but we recognise that lives have been changed forever and there is much more to be done to support our community and rebuild our economy.

Please click here to view the whole report.