Locals won't forgive Labour bosses if Sunderland Crown Works studios turns out to be empty promise

Responding to the announcement that Cain International have pulled out of the planned Crown Works Studios project in Sunderland, Liberal Democrat Leader of the Opposition on Sunderland City Council Paul Edgeworth said:

"We all want to see investment and jobs in Sunderland, but local people will not forgive Labour bosses if this turns out to be yet another empty promise and £millions of public money down the drain.

"Labour have been quick to claim all the credit for this project; it remains to be seen whether they will now take responsibility for dealing with challenges and obstacles like this.

"Labour have every lever at their disposal to make sure this project is a success. Sunderland council, the regional mayor and the government must now make it their top priority to make sure this development gets off the ground. 

“Regional Labour bosses must also come clean about whether this disastrous government's anti-business policies have had any part to play on Cain International pulling out of the project.”

Local Liberal Democrat councillor for Pallion Martin Haswell commented:

“This is a serious blow to Pallion, one of the areas of Sunderland most in need of jobs and investment. The studios came with the promise of good, well paid jobs for local people and those have potentially been dashed with the news that Cain have been unable to find the private investment needed.

“I just hope that we haven’t been sold a white elephant by the council and regional mayor, sinking huge sums of money into this project preparing the site while private investors didn’t have the funds ready to follow through on these promises.

“The progress to prepare the site for development is welcomed and I just hope momentum will not be lost. There were previous plans to build new homes on the site and that plan would be welcomed by local residents as well.”