Government urged to help prevent Doncaster steel firm from going under

The Government is being urged to intervene to stop a Doncaster steel company from going into administration.
Balby-based Noel Village Foundry, based in Balby, is understood to be struggling in the face of changing demand and cheap foreign competition.Balby-based Noel Village Foundry, based in Balby, is understood to be struggling in the face of changing demand and cheap foreign competition.
Balby-based Noel Village Foundry, based in Balby, is understood to be struggling in the face of changing demand and cheap foreign competition.

Balby-based Noel Village Foundry, based in Balby, is understood to be struggling in the face of changing demand and cheap foreign competition.

On Tuesday, Doncaster Central MP Rosie Winterton raised the issue in the House of Commons with Business Secretary Greg Clark, asking for the Government’s ‘urgent advice’.

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The Labour MP said: “Surely, one of the Secretary of State’s priorities should be the steel industry.

“Is he aware that Noel Village foundry in Doncaster is being badly affected by reductions in the steel industry supply chain?

“Will he ask his Department to give urgent advice to the company?”

Mr Clark responded by saying the Government intends to publish the details of new public sector steel contracts, which he told the Commons he believed would be good for the industry.

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He said: “I am happy to meet the right hon. Lady about this, but I can give her some news on steel that I think she will welcome.

“I can announce today that the Government are going to publish their demand for steel, through public sector bodies, to 2020; that will be 3 million tonnes.

“We are updating the procurement guidelines for steel to include the health service and local authorities and to drop the previous threshold of £10 million for which those guidelines apply.

“That will be good for the steel industry generally and for all firms within it.”

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Family-owned Noel Village was established in 1980 and has progressed from casting carbon steels for mining and engineering to high specification steels for the oil, gas and nuclear industries.

Following a £750,000 investment from Finance Yorkshire in 2014 Noel Village attempted to target a new net growth.

It was hoped this would be achieved by investing in heat treatment facilities.

Just last year the firm attempted to broaden their market to the nuclear sector and was included on the preferred supplier list by nuclear power plant builder EDF.

However the company has not achieved the expected levels of growth and now faces administration.

No-one from Noel Village Foundry was available for comment.