BATTLEOFTHEBASES (From Barry And District News)

BATTLEOFTHEBASES

RAF St Athan is going head-to-head with RAF Cosford in the Midlands, in an attempt to secure billions of pounds of government money - and up to 10,000 new jobs.

The two bases have been short-listed for a lucrative £20 billion MoD contract to create and house a massive military training academy.

An initial decision on the preferred location will be announced in summer, but a final decision will not be made until at least autumn 2007.

The "winner" will hit the jackpot with thousands of new jobs - while the "loser" could face the prospect of having to make cuts.

In fact, so much is at stake, in the Midlands that the local paper is referring to it as the battle of England and Wales, and is doing everything in its power to make the case as compelling as possible.

Just last Friday, it launched a glittering campaign called "Let"s fly Cosford" and more than 1,000 people have already registered their support for the Cosford bid on a specially created campaign website (www.letsfly-cosford.com).

However, Vale MP John Smith, who has been working closely with the Welsh bid and lobbying key decision-makers, is having none of it.

He told the Barry & District News: "I have viewed both proposals and the St Athan bid is by far the superior one and we are well ahead of Cosford in our planning and preparations."

He added: "The recent launch of the "Lets fly Cosford" or "Wales versus England" campaign as it has been referred to in the Midlands is a clear indication that they are concerned they cannot win this bid on merit alone, and it is a sign that they lack confidence.

"We would warmly welcome absolute transparency on these bids."

The military training academy will accommodate up to 5,000 military students, 1,500 civilian instructors and a significant number of military instructors and other support staff.

John Smith says 10,000 civilian jobs could be created in the area if the St Athan bid is successful, but he did not comment on the implications for the area if the bid was unsuccessful.

He said: "This is the single biggest investment in the history of the Ministry of Defence, creating up to three civilian jobs in the area for every one new military post.

"It will not only transform the economy of Barry and the Vale of Glamorgan, but the whole of South Wales."

The Cosford campaigners say if they win the bid, the number of jobs on the site will double to 2,640 by 2010.

However, they say an unsuccessful bid would result in the closure of RAF Cosford and the loss of 1,200 jobs.