IN THE wake of the latest K Shoes jobs blow, business and political leaders have called for urgent talks about the uncertain future of South Lakeland's economy, report Rachel Kitchen and Michaela Robinson-Tate.

As Clarks International announced the closure of Kendal's Springer factory with the loss of 167 jobs later this year, the town's MP, Tim Collins, was planning a top level meeting at Westminster to highlight concerns about continuing job losses.

Although 84 warehouse and shoe repair factory workers will keep their jobs, the announcement spells the end of Kendal's proud 154-year history of shoe making. Clarks blamed increasing competition from overseas, and changing customer demands.

"It's very sad that after all these years we are losing the company from Kendal and that, after all our hard work, we are to lose our jobs because of cheap labour abroad," said KFAT union Kendal branch president Les Williams.

"Although it has been expected it has still come as a great shock and everyone is devastated."

This week John Keery, for Clarks, said it was still too early to predict what would happen to the site.

South Lakeland District Council economy and development manager Richard Greenwood said: "There's the whole issue of making sure that we make the best possible use of the premises down at Natland Road and we've already made arrangements to go and have a look around so that we know exactly what we can be putting on to our land and premises register and make people aware."

George Read, chairman of Kendal Business Affinity Group of Cumbria Chamber of Commerce, said he feared Kendal's key employment base was "sinking faster than the Titanic". He called for a meeting to formulate a fast-track regeneration plan for the town, and said the empty factory must be preserved for business and not converted into housing.

A meeting of the Cumbria High Level Task Force has been called for January 31, when representatives of the county and district councils, Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Collins, Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency and Cumbria Inward Investment Agency, plus Clarks management, will discuss help for affected workers, and the marketing of the site.

Task force member county councillor Tom Clare said they should explore help for any staff who wanted to set up a small, specialist footwear or related business: "It would be very, very difficult, but it's something we are honour bound to look at for our future."

The announcement trig-gered a reaction from campaigners seeking the return of K Shoes historical documents and artefacts to Kendal, which were removed by the shoe giant to its Somerset headquarters in 1996.

Jonathan Somervell, a member of the K Shoes founding family, who backed The Westmorland Gazette's Hand Back our Heritage campaign, pressed for the early return of paper archives, which he said had been agreed by Clarks.

"If they really want to soften the blow, that's something they could do."

Meanwhile, MP Tim Collins is awaiting a response from Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt to his request to take a Kendal delegation to meet her.

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January 17, 2003 09:30