Top level meeting to boost logistics hub plan at MOD Donnington
A meeting is set to be held in a bid to strengthen plans to turn a Shropshire base into a major logistical hub.
Wrekin MP, Mark Pritchard, will lead a group of representatives from across the county to meet with Secretary of State for Defence, Michael Fallon, in a bid to encourage bosses at the Ministry of Defence to make Donnington the new hub for logistics.
If Telford was chosen as the location for a flagship centre for supplying kit to the armed forces, it would see 1,000 local jobs safeguarded and 700 new roles in the supply chain.
Winning the hub would also mean a boost of £60 million a year to the borough's economy.
Telford is currently up against Bicester in Oxfordshire to win the contract.
Mr Pritchard will be leading a delegation of representatives from both Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin Councils to meet Defence Minister, and Ludlow MP, Phillip Dunne, to discuss the future of the Donnington base
Mr Pritchard said: "I am pleased to have been able to secure this important meeting with the minister.
"MoD Donnington plays a vital role in helping ensure that our country is protected from external threats as well as employing many people throughout my constituency.
"Its future role is therefore important both for my constituents, as well as for the UK's national defence capabilities.
"I am confident the base's best days are ahead of it and that we can compete well beyond anything Bicester can offer."
The meeting will take place at the Ministry of Defence on September 11.
In July, members of Telford & Wrekin Council's Planning Committee approved a scheme to borrow up to £120m from Government to be able to offer the base to bidders.
The loan would be used to buy the 56 acres of land next to the existing site and build a 875,000sq ft fulfilment centre, a 200,000sq ft warehouse and a 30,000sq ft, office block.
But the money would only be used if the council won the bid and provided the facility.
The council would then recoup the borrowing costs as part of the contract and create a considerable surplus to fund key council services such as care for vulnerable adults and children.
The borrowing requirement will go to full council for final approval later this month, with the MoD expected to announce a decision in December.
