£120 Million Support Package for Ceramics: This is a Landmark Moment for our Local Industry
- May 21
- 2 min read
Today the Government has announced a £120 million Ceramics Industry Support Package
When I wrote to the Chancellor earlier this year, I told her we were desperate.
Our ceramics industry is world-famous, and is the beating heart of our local economy – and it was being overlooked.
When the British Industrial Competitiveness Scheme was announced, the word "ceramics" did not appear anywhere in it, and we made it clear that the ceramics industry could not be ignored any longer.
I welcomed the Minister for Industry to Newcastle-under-Lyme, and alongside my colleagues, we welcomed him to meet ceramics industry bosses and workers across our region – including businesses from Newcastle-under-Lyme.
I introduced my British-Made Bricks Bill, making the case that if this country is building homes, schools and hospitals, we should be using British bricks made by British workers. And I wrote directly to the Chancellor, urging her to act.
Today, our voices have been heard.
What the package delivers
The £120 million Ceramics Industry Support Package is a new fund providing capital investment for businesses across the sector.
The package will:
Help businesses invest in efficiency and decarbonisation projects
Support the transition to more cost-effective, energy-efficient production
Offer operational support to bring down day-to-day costs
Back capital investment across the industry
A further £60 million of additional Operational Expenditure support will be available to successful applicants if required.
The eligibility criteria for businesses and details of how to apply will be confirmed by the summer.
Why this matters
This is long overdue – but it is a landmark moment for an industry that deserves so much better than it has received. Businesses, like Silverdale Bathrooms in Newcastle-under-Lyme, are crucial to our local economy, and to our nationwide prosperity.
The workers who have kept this industry going through years of being overlooked deserve a government that backs them.
You can't build the homes, hospitals and infrastructure this country needs without ceramics and British bricks – and you can't build Britain's future in defence, energy and advanced manufacturing without the skills and expertise that we have right here in North Staffordshire.
The Secretary of State told me today that the boldness of this package is "a direct consequence of the voices we have heard from MPs" – and I am proud to have been one of those voices.
The fight is not over, and I will keep pushing for North Staffordshire to get every bit of the investment it deserves, alongside my colleagues.
My letter to the Chancellor
On 16 April 2026, I wrote directly to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves MP, urging urgent action to support the ceramics industry. You can read the full letter below.
