Pfizer Closure response

''News of Pfizer’s decision to cease operations at its Sandwich sitehas come as a huge blow. Leader of the Council, Cllr Bob Bayford said“This news is an enormous setback for Thanet and the East Kenteconomy as a whole. Many of the staff who work there live in Thanet, sothe unexpected closure of such an important contributor to the East Kenteconomy is especially worrying, particularly at a time when both thenational and local economy face equally daunting challenges.Thanet’s unemployment level is already the highest in the South Eastso this is going to hit us particularly hard, at a time when theeconomic recovery is still very fragile.We will be seeking an urgent ministerial meeting with our local MPs tosee what action the government can take to mitigate the job losses. Wecall on the government to intervene and provide tangible opportunitiesto attract business investment into East Kent to replace the jobs lost.We will be redoubling our efforts to attract businesses and investmentinto Thanet.We will also be working closely with our neighbouring councils and withthe county council to mitigate the impact of Pfizer’s closure onsurrounding businesses and the local economy”Publication date: 01 February, 2011