Demolition and Moving Forward

Frank Roy’s journey from steelworker to Member of Parliament reflects the story of Ravenscraig itself — a place shaped by heavy industry, political struggle, and eventual transformation. Roy began working at the Ravenscraig steelworks at the age of nineteen. “It took me three years and sixteen applications to get in,” he recalled, demonstrating the determination shared by many young men in the area who saw the plant as a chance for stable employment and a job for life. He spent more than a decade working across several parts of the plant. “I was there for about thirteen years after that. I worked in the BOS plant, the ladle teams, the secondary steel units, and the mills; most of my time was spent as a steel operator.”

During Roy’s time at the plant, Ravenscraig repeatedly faced the threat of closure, forcing the workforce to continually defend its value. Workers and trade unions tried to stay ahead of political pressure by building an economic case for the plant’s survival. As Roy remembered, “There had to be an economic story that had to be economically viable, because the government at the time understood the economy but did not understand society.” For Roy and his colleagues, saving the steelworks was not simply an emotional cause; it was about protecting livelihoods and securing the future of working communities.

His experiences in the steel industry during the turbulent political climate of the late twentieth century played a major role in shaping his political beliefs. Roy was arrested during strikes in the 1980s, events that reinforced his growing political awareness. He explained that the rise of Margaret Thatcher marked a turning point in his life. “I was already a member of the Labour Party in 1979 when Thatcher came… I realised actually, to fight for what you really believe.”  The battles over the future of the steel industry strengthened his resolve, and he came to believe that those directly affected by political decisions should have a voice in politics.

As he put it, “If you want somebody who’s involved in politics to stand up and talk about Ravenscraig, why not have a steelworker doing it?”

Eventually, this commitment led him into national politics. After retraining in marketing, attending university, and working with the Labour Party, Roy was elected Member of Parliament for the area in 1997 — the year after demolition began on the Ravenscraig site.

Roy believes politics has changed significantly since he first entered Parliament. In the 1990s, local representatives were often focused on defending the heavy industries that sustained entire towns and communities. Today, he argues, the role of politicians is different because the economy has shifted away from traditional manufacturing. Heavy industry once “was the vehicle that made life better for people,” but now opportunities are more likely to come from sectors such as technology and service industries. At the same time, Roy is critical of the short-term nature of modern politics, arguing that governments often struggle to plan for the long term because economic pressures push them toward immediate decisions rather than long-term strategies.

The demolition of the Ravenscraig cooling towers thirty years ago became a powerful symbol of that change. For some people, the towers were an important reminder of the town’s industrial past, but others believed that moving forward required letting go of these symbols. Roy described himself as “one of the movement brigade, not the monument brigade,” arguing that the towers had to come down to make it clear that Ravenscraig would not return in its old form. Although the closure marked the decline of the steel industry, Roy emphasised the importance of determination rather than nostalgia. “My first role as MP was to clean up the site and move forward. We could either go into a depression about the place… or have determination — we had to look forward and not look back.”

At the same time, the memory of the steelworks remains strong in the community, just as it does for Roy himself. “I used to tell all my fellow MPs that if this place had never closed, I would still be here as a steelworker — I would never have left.” Today, while he still feels a sense of pride when he walks through the site, he strongly believes that the future of the Ravenscraig area lies in creating new opportunities for the next generation, many of whom may never have known the steelworks that once defined the town.

For Roy, the story of Ravenscraig is not simply one of loss, but of resilience and change. The industries that built communities may disappear, but the determination of the people who lived and worked there remains. In that sense, the legacy of Ravenscraig is not only found in its past but also in the willingness of its people to adapt, rebuild, and move forward.