A SPECIAL task force will be formed to combat the threat of looming job losses in a south Cumbrian town.

The news GSK have killed off their £350m expansion in Ulverston has caused great concern that the loss of jobs could soon follow.

After a crunch meeting held on Thursday, political, business and community leaders have resolved to tackle the problem head on.

The Ulverston Task Force will be convened by Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock and will focus on doing whatever necessary to attract a buyer for the Ulverston plant, after GSK made clear it also wants to divest itself of the cephalosporins antibiotics production in which the Ulverston workforce specialises.

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Woodcock said: "We are bitterly disappointed but this meeting showed the whole community is determined and focused on doing whatever we can to secure the future for the world-class Ulverston workforce.

“The new task force we agreed to form today will be dedicated to doing everything possible to make the Ulverston site as attractive as possible for a new investor, including showcasing just how much Ulverston itself has to offer.

“We will show the hunger, the positivity and the spirit which led to Ulverston being singled out for the, now cancelled, biopharm investment in the first place.”

The task force will co-ordinate with GSK Ulverston site manager, Phil Wilson, with a view to meeting in early September to discuss a formalised plan of action.

Full membership of the group will be announced in the coming weeks. The meeting agreed to ask the government to be formally represented on it.

Mr Woodcock added: “I spoke to life sciences minister Lord Prior this morning who made clear the government will assist our efforts to save the plant after the shock announcement. The cancellation is a big blow for UK PLC as well as the Cumbrian economy so it is vital the government steps up to help turn this situation around.”