Ceramics leaders fear snub over £65m green funds bid

Proposals for a Stoke-on-trent based ceramics sustainability hub have been thrown into doubt after Chanceller Rishi Sunak failed to mention the project in his Budget speech. reports

CERAMIC industry leaders fear their bid for £65 million of government funding to help them go green has been snubbed.

Manufacturers had asked the government to support their plans for a ‘virtual ceramics sustainability hub’, to be based in Stoke-on-trent, to help the sector decarbonise.

But Chancellor Rishi Sunak made no specific mention of the project in his Autumn Budget and Spending Review on Wednesday – leaving the future of the project uncertain.

The British Ceramics Confederation (BCC) proposal, backed by letters of support from three-quarters of its members, had asked for an initial £5 million in 2022/23 as the first part of a phased £65 million over three years, to be matched by companies.

Ceramics is a highly energyintensive industry and, as such, it will be one of the most difficult sectors to decarbonise in line with the government’s ambition of achieving ‘net zero’ by 2050.

The sustainability hub would accelerate the development and deployment of a raft of decarbonisation technologies to achieve this goal.

The BCC has warned that without government support over decarbonisation, business and emissions could be pushed abroad, resulting in the loss of skilled jobs in places such as the Potteries.

BCC chief executive Dr Laura Cohen, below, said: “We are now talking with officials to confirm whether some elements of our proposal might be contained in the detail of the UK Research and Innovation or Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy settlements, but we are unlikely to have clarity for several weeks.

“This is disappointing ahead of COP26, as with the right support the UK ceramics sector and its supply chain has the potential to become a global leader in low-carbon, sustainable manufacturing technologies.

“The Chancellor has said that innovation is a route to growth. The ceramic sector remains ready to play its part, but we need the government to step up too.”

The government’s Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy requires emissions to reduce by at least two-thirds by 2035, and by at least 90 per cent by 2050 compared with 2018 levels, without pushing emissions and businesses abroad. Dr Cohen added: “Government has said this must happen while keeping manufacturing businesses within the UK. “Government needs to meet their promise by delivering practical and timely outcomes that support our ceramics industry on this very challenging journey.

“The sector is really feeling left behind compared with other UK energy intensive and industrial sectors on practical and tangible help to improve international competitiveness on so many current and future energy and carbon issues.”

Mr Sunak has been criticised for failing to address climate change issues in his Budget speech, which came just days before the start of the COP26 summit in Glasgow.

Green campaigners were particularly angered by the Chancellor’s decision to cut taxes on domestic short-haul flights and freeze fuel duty.

A government spokesperson said: “We continue to work very closely with the ceramics sector to discuss their plans around decarbonisation.

“We recently granted £18m to the Midlands Industrial Ceramics Group to establish a global centre for advanced technical ceramics which will contribute towards the growth of 4,200 jobs in the region by 2030, and remain committed to supporting the sector to decarbonise through a variety of schemes including our Industrial Energy Transformation Fund.”