Councillor wary of getting too excited over possible Britishvolt sale after many 'false dawns'

Recharge founder David Collard and a CGI of the battery gigaplant.

On Monday, Australian firm Recharge Energy emerged as the preferred bidder for Britishvolt after the company collapsed into administration last month.

Recharge is now aiming to make plans for the 3,000-job gigafactory a reality, establishing Cambois as a major centre for the manufacture of batteries for electric vehicles.

But Coun Alex Wallace, who represents the Sleekburn ward on Northumberland County Council, is wary after what he described as many “false dawns” over the past few decades.

The Labour councillor said: “We have done it before, we’ve counted our chickens before they’ve hatched. We have just had so many of these false dawns.

“I’m not as enthusiastic as I was with Britishvolt because that was such a disappointment. You’re frightened to put your heart and soul into it.

“Nobody wants this to happen more than me, I’ve tried for 30 years to bring something to that site. I’ve got my fingers crossed and I’m reading everything there is to read.”

Despite those concerns, Coun Wallace said he was buoyed by assurances he had from the company.

He added: “What is great is that they recognise what Britishvolt did, which is that the workforce needs to be up-skilled. We have been assured that local people will get the first bite of the cherry when it comes to jobs.”

The news was welcomed more warmly by the Conservative leader of the council, Coun Glen Sanderson.

He said: “The council is incredibly ambitious for our area and the gigaplant project at Cambois represents the best site in the UK for such a development.

“As recent business investments have shown, we are committed to bringing jobs and opportunities across the county.

“The news of a preferred bidder for Britishvolt is very welcome, and we will work with them to do all we can to make this potential investment take root and bring new jobs and investment to South East Northumberland.”

David Collard, founder of Recharge Industries said “We’re thrilled to be progressing with our proposed bid for Britishvolt and can’t wait to get started making a reality of our plans to build the UK’s first gigafactory.”