By Julian Whittle

Last updated at 15:24, Friday, 18 May 2012

Defence Minister Peter Luff has promised to give careful consideration to arguments to save 300 jobs at Longtown munitions depot.

Peter Luff: Agreed to visit the depot

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) plans to close the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency site in 2014, transferring storage responsibilities to Kineton in Warwickshire.

A Cumbria County Council and trades union delegation met Mr Luff in Whitehall this week to urge a rethink.

Neil Scott, section secretary for the Prospect union, said: “It went as well as it could have. He said he hadn’t made a decision yet but he believes there are too many sites.”

The delegation pointed out the strategic risk of storing all munitions at one depot and the cost and hazards of transporting munitions by road from Kineton to the MoD range at Otterburn in Northumberland.

They also challenged an MoD claim that it would cost £100m to refurbish Longtown.

Mr Scott said: “I said that figure was nonsense and that it would probably cost only £2m to do it. He said that he would need to look at that again.

“We pushed him to come and visit to see the depot first-hand.

“Even the project-team manager [proposing the closure] accepted we are the most efficient site and that there are major risks involved in what they are trying to do. The door still seems to be open.”

The delegation also included councillor Tony Markley, the cabinet member for economic development; council chief executive Jill Stannard and Invest in Cumbria MD John Grainger.

They handed in a 1,500-signature petition calling for the Longtown depot to be reprieved.

Mr Markley said: “It was a constructive meeting and the minister took on board the case we have presented to him for keeping Longtown open. He assured us that no decisions have been made.”

Mr Markley added that closure would have a “massive impact” on the local economy.

He said: “We will be writing to the minister again to formally invite him to Longtown so that he can see for himself that, with relatively small expenditure, the MoD can retain a valuable strategic asset.”

“It is essential that the minister visits the site before making any decision.”

The campaign to save the depot has the backing of the area’s three Conservative MPs – Rory Stewart in Penrith and the Border, John Stevenson in Carlisle and Dumfriesshire MP David Mundell.

First published at 14:08, Friday, 18 May 2012
Published by http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk