Local Liberal Democrats are calling for a rethink on the proposed job cuts at Twinings. Prospective parliamentary candidate Tom McCann and I met union members and officials on Saturday to discuss the proposals and believe the company should think again.

Tom McCann welcomed the offers of support and retraining for affected workers and urged staff to make full use of them. “But first” he said “the company should explore all other options. Twinings is an important part of Andover’s economy. A successful and expanding Twinings factory is essential for the future of the Walworth industrial park and of Andover. Equally Twinings needs Andover and its work force. The company must sit down with unions and other parties to find ways of protecting and expanding production on this site.”

I agree with him Twinings is a successful company with a reputation for quality. That quality comes not just from their products but from the skill and dedication of their work force. These skills cannot be automatically transferred to new factories abroad. The company’s main markets are the UK and Western Europe. It would be in the company’s best interest to continue to supply these markets from the Andover site.

Tom and I will continue to work with the unions and other agencies to protect jobs and promote investment in Andover.