'I'm absolutely devastated' – What business and political leaders think about Wolverhampton Banks's brewery closure plans
The leader of Wolverhampton Council said part of the city's heritage had been wiped out 'at the stroke of an auditor's pen' after it was announced Banks's brewery was to close.
Councillor Stephen Simkins said he was struggling to find words to describe his sadness that the brewery was to close after 150 years.
Councillor Simkins condemned the 'raging capitalism' which had led to the closure, and could not understand why owner Carlsberg Marston's could not make the site profitable given the time that it had been in the city.
"I'm absolutely devastated, really upset by this news," he said.
"I'm struggling to find the words to describe how I feel. Part of our heritage has gone at the stroke of an auditor's pen."
Councillor Simkins made the comments as political and business leaders across the city spoke of their sadness at the shock announcement that Banks's Park Brewery, in Chapel Ash, Wolverhampton, was to close next year.
The closure will coincide with the brewery's 150th anniversary.
Sham Sharma, chairman of Wolverhampton Business Forum, said he was 'pessimistic' about the future of the city.
Mr Sharma said he feared the city was becoming a commuter town with a declining industrial base.
The Campaign for Real Ale described Banks's Park Brewery as 'the iconic mainstay in British brewing' – and said news of its closure was 'devastating but predictable'.
