Bridgnorth Aluminium: Chancellor’s Budget must back industy to keep UK competitive
Britain’s last remaining producer of flat rolled aluminium coils today called for Government to take steps to “mitigate rising energy prices” for the metals and manufacturing sectors.
Adrian Musgrave, commercial director at Bridgnorth Aluminium, which employs over 300 people at its Shropshire base, spoke out ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s Budget next week – and stressed that further tax hikes are not the answer.
‘Aluminium should be viewed with the same importance as steel’
“Manufacturers don’t want hand-outs, we just want a level playing field to compete with our international rivals and that means the government resisting the urge to increase the already difficult tax burdens we face,” said Musgrave.
‘Support from Govt needs to come now, not in 2030’
“The UK has the highest energy bills in the G7 and, to put this into perspective, each month we pay over £1m for our electricity and gas. There is help available through the Energy Intensive Industries scheme and we take advantage of that, but we need the promised additional support of the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme to come faster.
“Manufacturers don’t want to hear about exciting plans that will come into fruition in 2030. We actually want the support to be delivered now, so it gives us the opportunity to become more efficient, more productive and more competitive in a global marketplace.”
He said he wants aluminium to receive the same standing and political attention as steel, not least because it is an infinitely recyclable metal and one that is crucial to driving advanced engineering, defence products and carbon reduction.
“Aluminium must be recognised as a key foundation material for advanced manufacturing, including applications such as AI data centres and green power generation,” he said.
He added: “Skills is another major issue for our sector, and we would welcome any changes to courses that accelerate the ability for young people to learn greater technical skills – making them work ready in the process.”
Bridgnorth Aluminium’s sale up 9% last year
Bridgnorth Aluminium bucked challenging trading conditions to post an impressive 9% rise in sales during 2024.
The company is capitalising on this by investing nearly £2m into new filtration technology that will help it supply cleaner, higher-quality aluminium for electric vehicle batteries and packaging – two markets that offer significant growth potential.
