Nottinghamshire County Council notes the historical contribution that mining has played in our County.
Nottinghamshire was a major supplier of coal for industry and home consumption, particularly during the 19th and 20th century. At one time, Nottinghamshire, with 40,000 miners was one of the most successful coalfields in Europe.
This Council further notes that when the coal industry was nationalised in 1947, there was 49 collieries in Nottinghamshire. There are now none.
Nottinghamshire County Council owes our miners a debt of gratitude which should be reflected in any decision that this Council makes. Our miners exposed themselves to many harmful agents - this put them and their families at risk of developing skin and lung conditions.
This council welcomes the conclusions of the House of Commons' Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee (BEIS) on the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme on 29 April 2020. This recommended that ministers tackle "historical injustice" in the scheme and to transfer £1.2 billion to the pension's fund.
This Council also notes the Government have also made £4.2 billion from the Mineworker's Pension Scheme - £2 billion over the original estimate. This is without paying a penny into the Mineworker's Pension Scheme.
This Council notes with regret the response from the Minister of State for Energy, Clean Growth and Climate Change on 28 June 2021 which rejected the recommendations of MPs on this Select Committee. This will cost every miner who mined in Nottinghamshire £728 a year.
We therefore ask for a letter to be sent from the leaders of the 3 groups on Nottinghamshire County Council to all Nottinghamshire's Members of Parliament and to the Chancellor of the Exchequer - The Rt. Hon. Rishi Sunak MP stating that Nottinghamshire County Council believes that:
- The Government should implement immediately the full findings and conclusions of the BEIS Select Committee's investigation into the Mineworker's Pension Scheme.
- That the Government should not be in the business of making money from the Mineworker's Pension Scheme and should now hand back the £1.2 billion from the investment reserve fund to the miners and their families.
- That Government should now seek to negotiate a fairer arrangement to benefit the miners and should not be seen to profiteering and should only take money from the scheme if it falls into deficit and then only at 50%
Councillor Jason Zadrozny Councillor Daniel Williamson