This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-35876112

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Hopes for two Lanarkshire steelworks as task force meets Deal 'close' over sale of Tata Steel mills
(about 1 hour 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. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said a deal to secure the future of two Scottish steelworks is close.
Buyers have been sought for the Clydebridge and Dalzell works since Tata announced plans to close them with the loss of 270 jobs. The Scottish government has been involved in talks with Liberty House over the sale of Tata Steel's mothballed Clydebridge and Dalzell works in Lanarkshire.
Tata Steel is said to be in advanced talks with metals firm Liberty House. Ms Sturgeon told MSPs that negotiations were continuing over a deal that would see Liberty buy and operate the mills.
Liberty told the BBC in January it was interested in the businesses. She said: "Final due diligence on that agreement is taking place at present.
It is understood an announcement could be made at the task force meeting. "The agreement would be facilitated by the Scottish government and would involve us buying the plant and immediately selling them on to Liberty for the same consideration."
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. The announcement came ahead of a meeting of the Scottish steel task force, set up by the Scottish government in October to try to secure a future for the mills.
Cheap imports Last October, Tata announced plans to close them with the loss of 270 jobs.
Chaired by Scotland's Business Minister Fergus Ewing, it includes representatives from trade unions and Tata, as well as councils. Roy Rickhuss, general secretary of the steelworkers' union Community, welcomed news that a deal was close.
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. He added: "The signing of this agreement is the first step towards restoring jobs and resuming production but there are still many steps to be taken.
A month later they announced that business rates at the plants were set to be reduced from April. "Community will continue to work tirelessly to see that happen.
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". "We made it clear that the skilled workforce at Dalzell and Clydebridge deserved a future in steel and from my discussions with Liberty I know they have the ambition to make that happen."
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.