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| Hopes for two Lanarkshire steelworks as task force meets | |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| The Scottish steel task force is due to meet amid speculation that Tata Steel is close to reaching a deal over the sale of two mothballed plants in Lanarkshire. | |
| Buyers have been sought for the Clydebridge and Dalzell works since Tata announced plans to close them with the loss of 270 jobs. | Buyers have been sought for the Clydebridge and Dalzell works since Tata announced plans to close them with the loss of 270 jobs. |
| Tata Steel is said to be in advanced talks with metals firm Liberty House. | Tata Steel is said to be in advanced talks with metals firm Liberty House. |
| Liberty told the BBC in January it was interested in the businesses. | Liberty told the BBC in January it was interested in the businesses. |
| It is understood an announcement could be made at the task force meeting. | |
| The task force was formed by the Scottish government in October to try to secure a future for the Dalzell plate rolling works in Motherwell and the Clydebridge plant in Cambuslang. | |
| Cheap imports | Cheap imports |
| Chaired by Scotland's Business Minister Fergus Ewing, it includes representatives from trade unions and Tata, as well as councils. | Chaired by Scotland's Business Minister Fergus Ewing, it includes representatives from trade unions and Tata, as well as councils. |
| In January, Scottish ministers announced a support package to keep key staff at the plants on standby and provide training to ensure they could reopen quickly, should production resume. | In January, Scottish ministers announced a support package to keep key staff at the plants on standby and provide training to ensure they could reopen quickly, should production resume. |
| A month later they announced that business rates at the plants were set to be reduced from April. | A month later they announced that business rates at the plants were set to be reduced from April. |
| They added that the relief would be available to any new operator "provided the sites continue to be similarly used for production of steel, and will be capped in line with State aid rules". | They added that the relief would be available to any new operator "provided the sites continue to be similarly used for production of steel, and will be capped in line with State aid rules". |
| When Tata announced in October that it was cutting a total of 1,200 jobs at its plants in Scunthorpe and Lanarkshire, it blamed the decision on a flood of cheap imports from China, a strong pound and high electricity costs. | When Tata announced in October that it was cutting a total of 1,200 jobs at its plants in Scunthorpe and Lanarkshire, it blamed the decision on a flood of cheap imports from China, a strong pound and high electricity costs. |