The South Suffolk Taskforce was established following the announcement of the closure of the Delphi site in Sudbury to look at the local economy in its entirety, in addition to the Delphi situation specifically. The first two sessions of the Taskforce included a stakeholder visit to the site, and then a follow up meeting to discuss the future of the site and the staff. In early May we will be having an additional meeting at Delphi to receive an update from the firm and reports from the stakeholder’s about the actions that have been taken in relation to the site. This is not about instant and short-term results, but the future of this strategically important site in Sudbury’s economic makeup.

As the local MP, I have met with members of the Delphi workforce, and discussed the closure with the Delphi leadership team, the Business Minister Claire Perry, and officials from the Department for International Trade. All of these conversations are ongoing. Ultimately, the purpose of the Taskforce is to look at the long-term competitiveness of Sudbury and South Suffolk as a whole, so that whatever ultimately happens at Delphi, we have done everything that we can to secure our young people’s future.

The wider purpose of the South Suffolk Taskforce is to focus on the economy of South Suffolk including industries such as retail, tourism, manufacturing and industrial businesses.