New East Lothian MP Kenny MacAskill has put on high visibility safety gear for one of his first local visits since he was elected in December – to Tarmac’s Dunbar cement plant, one of the largest and longest-standing employers in this constituency.
He enjoyed a comprehensive tour of the plant which employs around 140 people and manufactures a range of cement products for construction projects across Scotland, and (thanks to its good rail links) down into England.
The visit included updates on recent upgrade projects including a new, more energy efficient cement mill and an increase in the use of more sustainable waste-derived fuels, in place of fossil fuels. He also met and chatted with a variety of employees, most of whom live in Mr MacAskill’s constituency.
He commented on his visit: “I was delighted to pay a visit to the Tarmac Dunbar Cement Works. The site is a major employer of locals in Dunbar. It was fascinating to see how the plant works and to speak with management there about how they are responding to local issues in the Dunbar area, national concerns about infrastructure projects and the global challenges of the climate crisis.
“I’m grateful to the team at Tarmac for taking the time to show me around this important local industrial site and I look forward to engaging with them in future.”
Tarmac Dunbar’s Maintenance Manager David Drain said: “We were very pleased to welcome the new MP to the site so soon after the election. It is important that we have a positive partnership with key local community representatives including the MP – today’s visit gave Mr MacAskill an insight into our operations and the work we do maintain first-class performance levels.
“As well as operational discussions, we also gave him a flavour of our commitment to health and safety, and our continued drive to improve processes, environmental performance and distribution. We look forward to continuing constructive discussions with him in the future.”
Picture caption: On a tour of Tarmac’s Dunbar cement plant, new East Lothian MP Kenny MacAskill (centre) with Tarmac’s maintenance manager David Drain (left) and health and safety compliance manager William Allison (right)