Latest Teesside headlines straight to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

The British Steel name is alive and well on Teesside as the company looks forward to a prosperous 2017.

The company ended 2016 in profit after investing £39m into its steelworks - including a £1.8m investment at Skinningrove’s special profiles works, one of two British Steel sites which employ around 700 people on Teesside.

Twelve new apprentices will be taken on in Teesside this year, with the region at the centre of plans for growth and job creation in the future.

Roland Junck, executive chairman, said: “We want to be an active facilitator for job creation. It is our responsibility in different regions and something we want to play an important role in.”

British Steel, which was created after the company was bought out from Tata around seven months ago, has already secured a series of significant contracts for the year ahead, including at Hinkley Point which will use steel from the Beam Mill at Lackenby.

The company ended 2016 in profit, and will reverse a 3% pay cut this year - a temporary measure that all staff agreed to last year.

And Mr Junck confirmed he recently spent time in London looking at how local steel could be used to build skyscrapers.

A 40-storey skyscraper at 100 Bishopsgate and ‘The Scalpel’ at 52 Lime Street will both include steel manufactured by British Steel.

Mr Junck continued: “Domestically we are in a unique position to provide large quantities of steel for developments throughout the UK, whether that be major infrastructure projects such as HS2 and Heathrow or smaller projects, such as the building of new schools or hospitals.

“It is therefore heartening to see positive steps by the Government over public procurement and the steel pipeline, two policies which should lead to more British Steel products being used in even more projects throughout the UK.

“While we undoubtedly face several challenges, the pace at which we have evolved allows us to believe that we can continue to strengthen our long-term capability and build a sustainable future as an industry leader serving our employees, our customers and our local communities.”

Responding to the positive news, Redcar MP Anna Turley said: “It is great to see that under new ownership and the return of an iconic steel brand, British Steel are making great progress in returning the business to a sustainable footing. They are not only back in profit but securing important contracts and investing in the next generation of steelworkers which is brilliant.

“The success is testament to both the new leadership and to the skills and the determination of the workforce who have worked hard to turn the business around. It is particularly good to hear the salary sacrifice is set to be reversed in the not too distant future.

“To continue this trend, securing contracts in major infrastructure projects like HS2 and Heathrow is crucial; as is addressing the competitive disadvantage UK steel has against our competitors

Ms Turley, whose constituency suffered heartbreak in 2015 when the SSI steelworks at Redcar closed, is part of the parliamentary all-party steel group who last week launched a new masterplan for the UK steel industry.

The Steel 2020 report sets out a blueprint for saving the embattled industry and protecting 40,000 jobs, outlining 43 recommendations including slashing electricity prices, tackling Chinese dumping and striking a strong post-Brexit deal with the EU.

“The Steel 2020 report we launched in Parliament this week set out a number of recommendations to the Government to address these issues and secure the future of steel,” continued Ms Turley.

“In British Steel the steel industry still has a stake in Teesside providing many skilled jobs, and we have the potential to develop other steel processes through the work of the MPI at South Bank. The progress so far shows that with the right support and the right leadership, our steel industry in this country can have a bright future.”