RAF Cosford handed a lifeline

RAF Cosford was this afternoon handed a lifeline after the Government announced it was scrapping plans to move a defence training to South Wales.

Campaigners claimed victory after Defence Secretary Liam Fox said the plans, which RAF St Athan won ahead of RAF Cosford, were no longer "affordable".

Mr Fox said preferred bidder Metrix consortium, which was awarded £14bn to create a new state-of-the-art defence training super centre at St Athan, could not longer deliver a "commercially robust" project.

The decision on the Defence Training Rationalisation Project (DTR) opens up the possibility of studies for a much lower-cost replacement.

The Government could opt to keep the status quo, which would secure the future of the airbase near Wolverhampton.

It has been estimated that the livelihoods of approximately 30,000 people in the West Midlands, Staffordshire and Shropshire depend on the continued operation of the defence training centre at the base.

Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard "This is fantastic news. I have worked tirelessly for many years to get this defence programme scrapped which was bad news for the nation as well as bad news for RAF Cosford and Shropshire.

"I am glad the Defence Secretary has listened to my petitions and arguments and has been brave enough to scrap the scheme.

"The future now is far more certain for Cosford as a result of this statement.

"And, whilst changes to all defence establishments are kept under review, the scrapping of DTR has given Cosford a much longer lease of life than under the past Labour government who were moving towards mothballing the base or closing it."

Mr Fox said the Ministry of Defence would go back to the drawing board

."Collective technical training, collated on as few sites as possible, remains in our view the best solution for our Armed Forces," he said.

"We will however now carry out some work before finalising the best way ahead; including to confirm both our training and estates requirement, and the best way to structure the solution that will meet them.

"To ensure momentum is not lost, work on the alternative options will begin as soon as possible and we hope to be able to announce our future plans in the spring," he added.

RAF Cosford's future was put in doubt last year after the contract to become the principal training centre for all three armed forces – and with it, the creation of at least 2,500 jobs – was awarded to RAF St Athan.

A question mark still remains about the role - if any - that it will play in the Government's revised plans for UK defence training.

Plans for the movement of 2,600 troops from Germany to Cosford, due to start in 2016 under Operation Barona, have also been delayed to 2018 – putting 400 jobs at the air field near Wolverhampton at risk.