Nissan here 'for long time to come', meeting told

Nissan has announced that it would be cutting 9,000 jobs globally

Nissan is expected to stay on Wearside "for a long time to come", the leader of a regional authority has said.

Henry Kippin, chief executive of the North East Combined Authority (NECA), which represents seven councils including Sunderland, said he was confident in the future of the factory, amid concerns over the Japanese car firm's finances.

Nissan announced it would be cutting 9,000 jobs globally, saying it needed to create a "leaner, more resilient business".

It is not known how the Sunderland operation will be affected but Mr Kippin said he was "optimistic" about its future.

North East Mayor Kim McGuinness announced a grant of £9.6m from NECA for a training facility in Sunderland

At a NECA meeting on Tuesday, Northumberland Labour councillor Les Bowman asked Mr Kippin if he was aware of news the plant "may disappear" and how the region would cope with such a "bombshell".

Mr Kippin pointed out that the automotive giant had committed to building electric Qashqai, Leaf and Juke models in Sunderland, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

He also said Nissan had benefitted from investment from NECA of almost £10m to build a "world-leading" training facility.

Alongside the job cuts announced last month, Nissan said it would be reducing production by 20%.

It has been arguing that government regulations, which mean at least 22% of new cars sold by manufacturers in the UK in 2024 must be zero-emission, are outdated.

Nissan said the target "risks undermining the business case for manufacturing cars in the UK, and the viability of thousands of jobs".

The government has launched a consultation on the Zero Emissions Vehicles (ZEV) rules, following the industry pressure.