Statement from the fifteenth Tata Steel/Port Talbot Transition Board

18 Sep 2025 11:36 AM

The Tata Steel / Port Talbot Transition Board met for the fifteenth time on 4th September 2025, chaired by the Secretary of State for Wales, the Rt Hon Jo Stevens MP.

The Board reviewed the effectiveness of the UK Government funding so far:

• 37 supply chain businesses had received grants, which had protected nearly 200 jobs in the local area;
• 43 businesses in the local area have received growth and resilience grants;
• 22 new businesses had been created using grants for equipment and training;
• 3,667 training courses, and qualifications have been funded for individuals who have lost their jobs and are seeking new careers;
• 332 people have directly been supported into new jobs using Transition Board funded employability services at Neath Port Talbot Council;
• Nearly 600 Tata Steel employees initially at risk of compulsory redundancy have been offered alternative opportunities within the business; and
• Despite over 2,100 people losing their jobs from TSUK so far, and many more in the supply chain, there has not been a spike in local unemployment levels since September 2024.

There was agreement that the Transition Board’s work was not done. Although all of the UK Government’s £80 million support was now allocated, there was still a job to be done on monitoring the ongoing effectiveness of the funds, implementing the new Economic Growth & Investment Fund, and supporting future investment and regeneration in the region.

The Board also received:

• A presentation from Neath Port Talbot’s Employability Team and from Business Wales explaining the processes and case studies for people and businesses who apply for Transition Board funding;
• An update from Tata Steel UK’s decarbonisation programme – with the construction of the Electric Arc Furnace starting in July 2025; and
• An update from the Department of Business and Trade’s plans for a steel strategy.

Board members (and their deputies) in attendance included: Rt Hon Jo Stevens MP, Secretary of State for Wales; Jack Sargeant MS, Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership; Cllr Steven Hunt, Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council; Frances O’Brien, CEO of Neath Port Talbot Council; Rajesh Nair, CEO of Tata Steel UK; Chris Jaques, Chief HR Officer, Tata Steel UK; Stephen Kinnock, MP for Aberafan Maesteg; David Rees, MS for Aberavon; Anne Jessopp CBE, Sarah Williams-Gardener & Jacqui Murray independent members of the Board; Alun Davies, National Officer for Steel & Metals, Community Union; Tom Hoyles, Politics, Press and Research Officer, GMB Wales & Jason Bartlett Regional Officer of Unite the Union Wales.