RAF Cosford's future secured

RAF Cosford was today saved from a massive jobs blow after the Government announced it was scrapping plans to move defence training to South Wales.

Campaigners claimed victory after Defence Secretary Liam Fox said the plans were no longer "affordable". Mr Fox said preferred bidder Metrix consortium, which was awarded £1 billion to create a defence training super centre at St Athan, could no longer deliver a "commercially robust" project.

The decision on the Defence Training Rationalisation Project opens up the possibility of studies for a much lower-cost replacement.

Wrekin Tory MP Mark Pritchard said: "This is fantastic news. I have worked tirelessly for many years to get this defence programme scrapped which was bad news for the nation as well as bad news for RAF Cosford and Shropshire.

"I am glad the Defence Secretary has listened to my petitions and arguments and has been brave enough to scrap the scheme.

"I would like to pay tribute to all those in the community who never lost faith or hope in believing I was doing the right thing in fighting this ill-thought through defence project.

"The future now is far more certain for Cosford as a result of this statement. And whilst changes to all defence establishments are kept under review, the scrapping of DTR has given Cosford a much longer lease of life than under the past Labour government."

Robert "H" O'Harney, Public and Commercial Services branch secretary at Cosford, said: "We welcome the news this programme has collapsed as it was never affordable from the start."

It has been estimated the livelihoods of about 30,000 people in Staffordshire and Shropshire depend on continued operation of the de-fence training centre at the base. Mr Fox said the Ministry of Defence would go back to the drawing board.

"We will now carry out some work before finalising the best way ahead; including to confirm both our training and estates requirement, and the best way to structure the solution that will meet them," he said.

RAF Cosford's future was put in doubt last year after the contract to become the principal training centre for all three armed forces — and with it, the creation of at least 2,500 jobs - was awarded to RAF St Athan.

By London Reporter Sunita Patel and Wayne Beese