Sir Charles Villiers: Making BSC more businesslike Available to Purchase

In three years of presiding over BSC, Sir Charles Villiers has seen the world steel glut produce lean times for the Corporation. From a '76 target of 35m tonnes, British Steel's output has slumped to 17m tonnes, bringing with it plant closures and labour redundancy. Sir Charles believes the steel industry will get worse before it gets better, but he is aiming to get the Corporation into “at least a break even position” before he retires in September of next year. In this exclusive interview with IM, Sir Charles talks about the relationship between BSC and the Government, the social effects of works closures and the reported row with other board members over his efforts at management decentralisation.