Loss of steel would be more serious

Dear Sir,

I would like to attempt to answer Alan Wright's letter in last week's Chronicle in which he asks why the proposed closure of Tata Steel and BHS are treated differently.

One is the major British manufacturer of a basic ingredient of most major infrastructure projects, the loss of which means we will have to import this valuable commodity with a loss of tax receipts and damage to our balance of payments.

The other is a major retail brand in competition with many similar ones both online and offline.

Both will result in the direct loss of livelihoods with the knock on effects down the supply and customer chains.

However, it is much easier to restart a retail company than a major construction one and for those affected to discover fresh employment opportunities.

The implications of the former are much more serious as whole communities will be affected, a major British product will be lost and highly skilled workers will have to undergo time consuming and costly retraining and possible relocation.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Peter Hirst

Middlewich