MORE than 250 people are facing an uncertain future after a massive Basingstoke firm announced plans to quit the town.

The GazetteThe Gazette can reveal that Shire, the pharmaceutical giant, based at the Hampshire International Business Park in Chineham, is relocating to London and Dublin.

In a statement, Shire –- which was founded in Basingstoke 30 years ago and currently employs 270 people in the town –- said it would be opening new offices in Paddington, bringing the majority of its commercial, research and development and key corporate roles “closer to the heart of life science communities and resources”.

A number of jobs will also be moved to Dublin over the next 18 months, in order to save costs by sharing services already in place, across the next 18 months.

The plans, which would see Basingstoke’s office close at the end of 2017, have now sparked a political row after Tory MP Maria Miller “wished them luck" with” the move. Her comments were branded “a disgrace” by Labour rivals.

Sebastian Stachowiak, UK and Ireland’s general manager for Shire, said: “Basingstoke is an important part of Shire’s legacy and growth - it’s in the Basingstoke area that our company started out 30 years ago.

“We appreciate the continued commitment and support of our employees based here, and of our local community partners.

“However, we believe the time is right to bring us closer to our customer base and our key partners within larger life science communities, as we move towards our next chapter of growth.” 

Shire Pharmaceutical, which previously also had sites in Andover and Overton, currently employs 270 people in Basingstoke and a total of 350 across the UK.

MP Mrs Miller told The Gazette: “We are very proud that Shire was born in Basingstoke as it has been a great Basingstoke employer.

“It is always sad when companies decide to move on and we wish them luck with the move.

“I hope that support will be given to anyone affected by the move.

“I think Basingstoke is a busy job market with hundreds of new jobs including at National Rail, John Lewis and Waitrose - which makes Basingstoke remain in the top 10 employers of people in the south east.”

If current employees decide to continue working at Shire after the company has moved to London, a season ticket between Basingstoke and Paddington will cost £4,992, according to the National Rail ticket calculator.

Labour councillor Paul Harvey slammed Mrs Miller’s comments about the move. 

“It’s a disgrace that she has said this,” Cllr Harvey said.

“It’s about time she fought for jobs in Basingstoke and stood up for this town and that’s a real shame because this is what we need.

“It’s a big deal for the people in those jobs and it’s a sad loss of a good company that has been based in our town giving jobs to local people.

“This is bad news and it is important that we all take these potential job losses very seriously because we are losing different companies who move on to places like Reading.

“The cost of commuting to London is huge - it’s not right.

“This is incredibly serious for our local economy and until we get a council that takes inward investment seriously we are going to struggle.”

Before the biopharmaceutical company confirms any further details, it will complete an employee consultation process by July 2016.

It said it aims to retain the majority of existing roles while hoping many employees will opt to remain with the firm.

The company also said they are “fully committed to providing affected employees with the necessary support in considering their options”.

Maureen Frost, deputy chief executive of Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “It’s a large number of jobs to be lost in the area so it will have some impact.

“It is commutable if people wish to, so to that extent it will not have as much an impact as it would for the company if it had been closed down completely.

“It’s rare for companies to move to London in this climate but because they are also sharing services with Dublin it does look like they are cost cutting.

“Depending on the types of jobs which are being lost, there are a lot of new jobs being created in the Basingstoke area so it’s about making sure those with transferable skills can find employment.”

Shire is a global speciality biopharmaceutical company that works closely with specialist physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals to develop and market medicines that improve quality of life for patients, their families and carers.

Are you affected by the news? Please get in touch by calling Clive on 01256 337 440 or email clive.hammond@basingstokegazette.co.uk