Closure threats to Annesley-Bentinck-Newstead complex

February 1984

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Annesley Colliery, NCB South Nottinghamshire Area. Photo Credit – David Amos
NUM Save-it campaign
Bentinck Colliery, NCB South Nottinghamshire Area. Photo Credit – Chad Newspaper
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Newstead Colliery, NCB South Nottinghamshire Area. Photo Credit – Kirkby Heritage Centre
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Minutes of meeting on 17th February 1984 between NCB South Nottinghamshire Area and Nottingham Area NUM regarding threats to the Annesley-Bentinck-Newstead complex and remedial action agreed to try and get the complex to break even or in profit within 18 months.
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Summit talks over fears for Bentinck pit – report in Notts Free Press, 16th March 1984, p.5

The NCB threatened the closure of the Annesley-Bentinck-Newstead complex in February 1984 because of losses of £9.4 million at Newstead Colliery and £6.8 million at Bentinck Colliery in the nine-months of the financial year 1983-84.

The NCB agreed to give the three pit complex 18 months to break even or become profitable. An agreed action plan between the NCB South Nottinghamshire Area, the Nottingham Area of the NUM and the three NUM branches, was for a reduction in machine production shifts from 27 to 22, the abandonment of Bentinck coal reserves under areas of high subsidence risk and a reduction in the workforce from the present 3,390 to around 3,840. The latter would be achieved by offering voluntary redundancy to all miners over 55 in the complex with a need to probably bring this down to all miners aged over 50.

1983

Build up

1984

Strike

1985

Fallout