LevellerLive

Following the announcement last week that GKN is considering redundancies and or closing its plant at the Westlands works in Yeovil, local MP Marcus Fysh visited the site on Friday. The meeting was arranged to listen to employees concerns and explain what he and the government were doing. Following the meeting Mr Fysh told us  “It was important to meet employees and their families to listen to their concerns and the kind of support they want from their MP and the Government. I’m determined to do whatever I can to help, either finding work within GKN or exploring opportunities elsewhere. I’ve already met with MoD minister Harriet Baldwin and I’m also meeting with Leonardo, GKN and Boeing as well as union representatives to help secure the future of the aerospace industry in Yeovil.”

We spoke to Marcus Fysh over the weekend about the situation at Westland. An important question that remains unresolved is that if the work GKN currently do on the frames of the Wildcat helicopter is “brought in house,” which is what we have been told by Westland owners, Leonardo Helicopters, what does that mean? Will the work be done in Yeovil or at one of their other factories around the globe. The answer to that question may well depend on who owns the tooling for the frames at GKN., something that Marcus Fysh says he is keen to establish as soon as possible.

In the meantime he told us he was “seeking a follow-up meeting with the Prime Minister and the skills minister to discuss proposals I have made to her about industrial strategy and the ways highly skilled workers can continue to find opportunities in our region to make sure we deliver on our commitment to creating a country that works for everyone.”