Caithness economy ahead of rest of UK, says Cable
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CAITHNESS is ahead of the rest of the country in terms of meeting the demands of a changing economic climate.
That was the view of UK Business Secretary Vince Cable who said the rest of the country would do well to follow the example of the far north in meeting the business challenges of the future.
Mr Cable was invited to the county by Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP John Thurso to look at how the area was facing up to developing a viable economy post Dounreay.
During his tour, Mr Cable visited Dunbeath Engineering, Kongsberg Maritime in Wick and Icetech Freezers in Castletown to find out how the three companies were managing to operate successfully outwith the nuclear industry.
Mr Thurso said he wanted to emphasise to the Cabinet minister that the local economy is 20 per cent reliant on manufacturing and engineering – double the national average.
“I wanted to show him the breadth and strength of the Caithness economy and highlight areas which people may now know exists.
“One of the major legacies of Dounreay is that there are a lot of companies that are based in engineering or manufacturing or both.
“Proportionately there are more engineering companies in Caithness than in Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester, which really puts it into perspective.
“Unemployment is down and employment is up in the region and while the UK and Scottish economies have dipped in and out of recession, the Highland economy has remained in growth the whole way through.”
Mr Cable said what he saw in Caithness needed to be done in the rest of the country, saying that Caithness was three or four years ahead of the game.
John Thurso said that it is good to hear that the Cabinet minister responsible for growth recognised the important contribution that was being made.
Mr Cable was also a guest speaker of the Caithness Chamber of Commerce during its 40th anniversary dinner held at the Weigh Inn at Thurso.
