Another victim of Rachel Reeves economy as 180 year-old pottery closes

Chancellor Rachel Reeves' UK system whitethorn person claimed 1 of the nation's oldest potterers aft it collapsed with rising vigor bills and deficiency of authorities enactment blamed.

Royal Stafford, based astatine the Royal Overhouse Manufactory successful Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, called successful administrators connected Tuesday with the nonaccomplishment of 83 jobs - with workers told to battalion up and leave.

The marque was established successful 1845 but records bespeak Royal Overhouse was successful usage successful 1787 and operated by Thomas Wedgwood - meaning the tract has a 238-year pedigree successful ceramics.

Shocked worker Robert Morley, besides a GMB national rep, said his heartbroken colleagues were "devastated" and "gutted" by the determination - and they knew thing until locks had been changed.

Mr Morley fumed: "I wasn't moving that day. But I got a telephone telephone that said everyone's been told to get their worldly and get home. They could person fto america know, but we got nothing. No information, nothing.

"We knew we was struggling, but for the receivers to spell and to unopen the gates - terrible. I jumped successful my car and drove consecutive up there. But by the clip I got there, a batch of the members had gone."

Royal Stafford said it had faced a melodramatic simplification successful orders and, on with vigor terms rises, it could not spend to proceed to trade.

The company's illness followed the closure successful Stoke-on-Trent of Dudson successful 2019, Wade successful Longton 2 years ago, and Johnsons Tiles past year.

Stoke-on-Trent has been shaped by the pottery manufacture for implicit 300 years and is affectionately known the satellite implicit arsenic 'The Potteries'.

From small-scale beginnings successful the mid seventeenth century, the abundance of ember and clay meant that the pottery manufacture grew and became rooted successful the area.

The manufacture flourished done revolutionary ideas and the improvement of ceramic manufacturing techniques by Master Potters specified arsenic Wedgwood and Spode - with Stoke-on-Trent erstwhile hailed arsenic the World Capital of Ceramics.

Mr Morley said workers were handed letters minutes earlier a dependable connected the factory's receiver connection strategy asked unit to spell home.

The national said it blamed spiralling vigor bills arsenic good arsenic the amerciable importation of overseas forgeries, which was driving down orders successful the UK.

Mr Morley said the authorities needed to intervene and assistance the pottery industry, adding: "The pottery manufacture can't spend each the terms hikes. Why hasn't the authorities travel successful and tried to help?

"We couldn't support it going with the terms of the vigor - it was sidesplitting us. Something's got to beryllium done. There's going to beryllium nary pots near successful Stoke-on-Trent."

A GMB national spokesperson said the firm's illness was a "wake-up call" for the authorities and its concern strategy.

Colin Griffiths, from the GMB, warned Britain could suffer its ceramics and pottery manufacture without authorities intervention.

He added: "Our ceramic and pottery manufacture is captious for economical maturation and supports thousands of jobs crossed the UK."

A Royal Stafford spokesperson said: "It is with large sadness that the directors denote the closure of RST Limited, which trades arsenic Royal Stafford, with contiguous effect.

"The institution has faced a melodramatic simplification successful orders successful caller months and coupled with the summation successful vigor prices this has near it incapable to spend to proceed to trade.

"The institution has traded arsenic a shaper and retailer of tableware from its Burslem mill since 2007, erstwhile its existent owners bought the concern and assets of Royal Stafford Tableware Limited.

"The Royal Stafford marque was established successful 1845, and the institution was 1 of the fewer remaining accepted pottery manufacturers successful North Staffordshire.

"The closure of the mill has resulted successful the redundancy of 83 employees, galore of whom person worked for the institution since 2007 and immoderate who worked for Royal Stafford Tableware anterior to that.

"The directors person pursued each avenue imaginable to prevention the business, but without the warrant of a profitable guardant bid book, this was not possible.

"The directors person engaged the services of insolvency steadfast Moore Recovery to spot the institution into liquidation. Creditors of the institution volition beryllium contacted by Moore Recovery successful owed course.

"A closing down merchantability is planned and further accusation regarding this volition beryllium provided erstwhile possible. Anyone who has orders to cod from the mill store volition besides beryllium contacted successful owed course."

A spokesperson for Moore Recovery said a closing down merchantability was planned and much accusation astir this would beryllium shared "when possible".

"The directors person pursued each avenue imaginable to prevention the concern but without the warrant of a profitable guardant bid book, this was not possible," they added.

Meanwhile a spokesperson for Stoke-on-Trent City Council said their precedence was supporting the firm's employees and would assistance with benefits advice, CV writing, occupation searching and interrogation techniques.

The council's person Jane Ashworth, volition constitute to Royal Stafford's owners to petition an urgent meeting.

They added: "We cognize that nationalist factors including precocious vigor bills person made things much hard for section employers but we are committed to improving our economy.

"This includes large plans for Burslem, involving the regeneration of the municipality arsenic portion of a multi-million lb city-wide bundle of nationalist realm improvements."