BAGS OF JOY AS JOBS COULD BE ON WAY BACK TO PLANT
NEWS OF TAKEOVER PLAN FOR FACTORY WELCOMED BY MP AND UNION ORGANISER
Plans by Heather Mills to take over the former Walkers factory have been welcomed by a local MP.
PepsiCo closed its crispmaking plant in Peterlee towards the end of last year when it said it needed to make savings through its Walkers brand, leading to the loss of about 350 jobs.
Now Heather Mills, a former model, activist, businesswoman and media personality, who originally hails from Washington, has confirmed she has bought the Stephenson Road site with the aim of turning it into a production line for her VBites food firm.
That will continue the town’s 50-year tradition of making snacks on the site.
Easington MP Grahame MorrishassaidhewascontactedataroundthetimetheWalkersfactorywasclosing,butwas unable to reveal any details as negotiations were under way.
Mr Morris hopes to see a deal rubber-stamped for the site, with about 130 people to be taken on initially, with a chance that could rise to 255 or more as the products make their way into more shops.
The MP helped put VBites in contact with parties involved in the site and business support organisations as discussions began.
He said: “This could be much-needed good news for Peterlee, which has 50 years’ experience of manufacturing top-quality snacks at this site.
“I would like to thank Heather for her commitment and willingness to invest in our community and in the jobs this project could deliver.”
The development has also been welcomed by Tom Allison, senior organiser for Durham and Tees with the GMB, the union which represented most Walkers employees.
He said: “This could give job opportunities to those who have been unable to secure employment and get well-paid employment, because a lot of job opportunities are of the type with low or minimum wages, rather than good production jobs and we hope we get those back.”