A FACTORY employing disabled people which was shut in a round of government cuts will be re-opened by a local authority.

North Lanarkshire Council is to take on the leasehold on the former Remploy factory in Wishaw.

The UK Government announced the with-drawal of funding for Remploy across the country in September last year and the Wishaw factory was closed, forcing 22 people – 20 of them disabled – out of work.

The council is also to expand its Beltane Products supported business – which has 28 employees, 23 of whom are disabled – to offer more opportunities to disabled people.

Some of those who lost their jobs when Remploy closed could be taken on at the factory, although it is not yet clear how many posts will be created.

The council will work closely with Beltane Products and its home repairs partner Morrison Scotland to finalise and implement the business case.

The business will focus on storage, assem-bly of kitchens for the council's upgrade prog-ramme and provision of furniture to schools.

Councillor Jim McCabe, leader of North Lanarkshire Council, said: "The workers at Remploy were shame-fully treated by the UK Government's decision to withdraw funding.

"We hope to be in a position soon where we will be able to offer new employment opport-unities for disabled people.

"Acquiring this leasehold is a further positive step towards making a positive contribution to the economy.

"We are working as quickly as possible, along with our partners in Beltane Products and Morrison Scotland, to make sure we build a sustainable future for our supported business in Beltane and now the former Remploy site."

stef.lach@ heraldandtimes.co.uk