A Luton Councillor has blasted Vauxhall’s parent company Stellantis for having no interest in helping Lutonians as the last van rolled off the production line today, ending 120 years of vehicle production in the town.
The Dutch company announced last year its plans to close the Kimpton Road factory and move all its UK operations to Merseyside, put 1,100 workers jobs at risk.
The plant, which has been the home of Vauxhall since it moved from London in 1905, had been profitable and was due to begin production of the new electric Vivaro van this year.
In February, Luton Council Leader Cllr Haze Simmons called the closure decision “devastating”, saying the closure of Vauxhall would leave a £310million black hole in the the local economy.
The local authority worked closely with the trade unions, local MPs and government to offer what they all believed were viable ways to save the plant and the jobs, but it provided fruitless.
Today, Cllr Javeria Hussain, the Portfolio Holder for Employability and Skills, said: “I’m so angry at Stellantis, so, so angry that they didn’t even give us an opportunity, a chance to put an alternative perspective.
“We put in an offer that they rejected, that would’ve somewhat helped our residents, but they just weren’t interested.
“But we are going to do everything that we can for every single worker, including their families. We’re not going to abandon them in their time of need.”
Luton South MP Rachel Hopkins said via her social media channels: “I stand with the workforce and their families at Luton’s Vauxhall plant as the final vans rolled off the production line this afternoon, following the devastating decision by Stellantis to close the plant.
“Vauxhall will always be a part of Luton’s proud 120 year automotive heritage, and I pay tribute to the workers for their dedication until the very end. Alongside the Labour government, Unite the Union reps and Luton Council, I will continue to support the creation of well-paid, highly skilled jobs in our town.”
After Vauxhall workers completed their final ever shift this afternoon, Cllr Hussain added: “It’s such a sad day, a devastating time for our town and my heart and prayers are with not only the workers who are about to be made redundant, but also their families.”
“Production of the current medium van range ceased today in Luton,” Stellantis said in a statement, adding: “Our employees always remain our priority, and we continue to act responsibly towards our colleagues in Luton.
“We continue with direct consultation meetings, relocation support for those who wish to transition to Ellesmere Port and onsite support activities, such as job fairs, CV writing, retraining support and wellness sessions.”
The council will now be supporting Lutonians who lost there jobs at Vauxhall by helping them find alternative employment, by providing upskilling, reskilling and retraining programmes.
Cllr Hussain added: “We are a resilient town, we are going to bounce back. There are things in the pipeline, including major developments and hopefully we’ll be able to secure the DCO (airport expansion), that will provide opportunities and employment for our residents.”
The Luton Airport expansion plans are set to be decided by the government next week (April 3), having been pushed back three times already, with the latest setback in December 2024.
The airport maintains that approval of the plans – which would increase its passenger capacity from 18 million to 32 million annually by building additional terminals and upgrading infrastructure – will provide 11,000 jobs and generate an additional £1.5 billion in the economy each year, while providing funds for investment in public services.
But, for today, it’s the end of more than a century of history, where Vauxhall was, but no longer will be, a part of Luton life.
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