In response to the news that the Edinburgh Woollen Mill is considering relocating its headquarters from Langholm to Carlisle, Dumfries and Galloway Council Leader, Councillor Ronnie Nicholson has written to Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
The letter, sent out on Friday 25 November details the impact the move will have on the community, with up to 200 jobs moving over the border to Carlisle. The town has suffered a number of business closures with Border Fine Arts recently announcing it would be closing, with the loss of 50 jobs.
The correspondence reminds the First Minister of Langholm’s proud industrial heritage, and that now is the time for investment to aid recovery from the loss of such an iconic brand to the town. Councillor Nicholson points to the recent example of investment from the Scottish Government in Hawick, and urges that discussions should take place between Scottish government and Dumfries and Galloway Council representatives to deliver economic support ensuring Langholm has a sustainable future.
Councillor Nicholson commented;
“This would be another massive blow for Langholm, and as a Council we need to stand up and request some assistance from the Scottish Government. Building the local economy is our Council’s number one priority, but setbacks such as this certainly would do us no favours in trying to achieve this. The Edinburgh Woollen Mill is an institution in Langholm, and would be sorely missed. I hope to hear back from the First Minister within the next few days, and have a meeting set up in the near future to see what assistance can be afforded to the town of Langholm to help it recover from this news.”
