In a Westminster Hall debate today I appealed to Defence Minister, Tobias Ellwood, for support to rebuild the community in Linton-on-Ouse following the planned closure of the RAF base in 2020. We all need to work together to ensure the best possible future use of the base, whether that is for housing or employment. In the debate I made the point that “If the closure goes ahead, on that sad day, the employment prospects created as a result should at least make up for some of the jobs lost in the locality, and that we must provide opportunities for local people who have such a long connection with, and have relied so much on, that base for their community and for jobs both at the base and in the local supply chain”.
The whole community had been saddened by the announcement that the base will have to close, and its operations moved to RAF Valley on Anglesey, because of the enormous role it has played in the community. I reminded my colleagues of “RAF Linton-on-Ouse’s historic contribution to our previous fights against tyranny. It was first formed in 1937, in the lead-up to the Second World War. The No. 4 Group RAF was based there, and it undertook bombing raids on Norway, the Netherlands and into Germany. The base was also host to the No. 6 Group Royal Canadian Air Force”
I do understand the priority placed on spending taxpayers’ money in the most cost-effective way, with the closures saving £140 million by the end of the decade, but I took the opportunity to remind the minister of my concerns, expressed on a number of occasions, of the need to ensure that our military bases are also fit for purpose. The closure of RAF Linton-on-Ouse, and with it the loss of three flight simulators for training, could mean that there might not be the capacity to train the full complement of military air crew for the future, or support other nations which use our world class training services.
Responding, Mr Ellwood said that he was able to offer assurances that the closure would not affect our future training needs and that “the expertise we have in this country is phenomenal”. He also stressed the importance of having a strategy to deal with the transition and the need to work closely with the local authority. The minister offered to meet again to discuss future plans for Linton-on-Ouse in more detail.
I plan to hold an open meeting in the village, in conjunction with leader of Hambleton District Council, Councillor Mark Robson, as soon as plans are clearer.
You can read the full debate here: https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2018-10-16/debates/379970AD-0B89-4473-A85B-72930B5CDD74/ClosuresOfRAFScamptonAndRAFLinton-On-Ouse?highlight=linton-on-ouse#contribution-D56858FC-8634-4CF4-B8E0-FB46B66BF3BC