Leader and council staff visit local glass manufacturer

Councillor Sir Stephen Houghton CBE, Leader of Barnsley Council, Matt O'Neill, Executive Director for Growth and Sustainability, and Ben Hawley, Group Leader for Enterprising Barnsley all visited Ardagh Glass Packaging (AGP) in Monk Bretton last week.

They were given a guided tour of the premises before sitting down to discuss the future of glass packaging manufacturing and the challenges the sector currently faces with key staff and Dr Nick Kirk, Technical Director for British Glass.

This included the new Extended Producer Responsibility tax on glass packaging and its potential impact on the business as well as potential collaborative initiatives, such as the Pathways to Work scheme.

Councillor Sir Stephen Houghton CBE, Leader of Barnsley Council, said:

"I'd like to extend a big thank you to everyone who made our visit to Ardagh Glass Packaging such a pleasure.

"The discussions we had were intriguing and have given us a better insight into what we need to do to support and future-proof the logistics and manufacturing sectors, which we outlined as one of the three key missions in our new Inclusive Economic Growth Strategy.

"Those sectors play a critical role in the borough in supporting local employment, nurturing talent, and in providing better-paid ‘good jobs’ and promoting more inclusive, flexible and meaningful ‘good work’.

"It's imperative for the health and success of our economy that they can continue to thrive and provide those opportunities for Barnsley residents, and we'll do everything we can to help them.”

Lee Mills, Plant Manager at Ardagh Glass Packaging Barnsley said:

“It was a pleasure to have meaningful discussions with Councillor Houghton, Matt, and Ben. We truly appreciate the time they took to understand the challenges brought about by the EPR tax.

“As a major local employer and long-standing part of the community, we value our strong working relationship with the council, and it’s encouraging to see that partnership continue to grow.”

Ardagh Glass Packaging’s Barnsley site employs over 500 people, making glass packaging for well-known brands such as Coca Cola, Smirnoff Vodka, and Bombay Sapphire.

Ardagh​​ Group is a global supplier of sustainable, infinitely recyclable, metal and glass packaging for brand owners around the world.