A NEW £1 million programme has been announced to support the county’s aerospace industry.

The two-year Lancashire Advanced Engineering and Manufacturing Watchtower project, launched by Lancashire County Council, will use local knowledge to identify aerospace firms that need support and tailor their funding and advice to help see the companies through the ongoing crisis.

This comes as part of the county council’s £12.8 million Lancashire Economic Recovery and Growth Fund, which aims to help tackle the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

County Councillor Michael Green, cabinet member for economic development, environment and planning said: "We are pleased to support this vital industry in our county which employs around 13,000 people and has been hard hit by the economic impact of Covid-19.

“There has been a temporary collapse in demand for AEM products as a result of lockdowns, which has impacted on the aerospace, automotive and power markets and supply chains.

“In turn, significant numbers of high value jobs have been furloughed and potentially lost, impacting on our skills base and wealth generating capacity.”

As well as working to identify and protect Lancashire’s key aerospace assets, the programme will also aim to help people who have lost skilled jobs in aerospace find new work and will support firms that are trying to find new contracts both nationally and internationally.

Business will also be supported when developing new products or ways of working and a campaign will be launched to reinforce Lancashire’s image as the perfect location for aerospace and advanced manufacturing companies.

Councillor Green said: "We want to support AEM businesses to be competitive, innovative and financially sound, to ensure they can successfully recover from the pandemic and thrive.”

Claire Whelan, Board Director at Lancashire Enterprise Partnership board director and LEP Aerospace Task Force member Claire Whelan also welcomed the move.

She said: "This package, which represents a serious commitment of funding by County Hall, delivers one of the key recommendations made in the Lancashire Aerospace Task Force's recovery plan published last autumn.

"Lancashire has world-renowned aerospace capabilities which not only provide high value employment opportunities, but also make a significant contribution to the county’s economy as a whole.

“The impact of Covid-19 has diminished decades of sustainable growth in the sector, creating supply chain vulnerability and the loss of good jobs, built from a rich heritage of over 100 years in aircraft production in Lancashire.

“This is why it is important that any interventions for the sector have been articulated and developed by the industry themselves to ensure we retain these capabilities and skills in the county and continue to lead the way in innovative civil and defence aircraft manufacturing."

The project will start in Spring 2021 and run for two years.