Enterprise agency rejects claims of Inverness bias
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UNION representatives from Caithness are accusing Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) of unfairly steering multi-national companies to Inverness as a viable location to do business.
Malcolm Ness, chairman of the Dounreay branch of the Unite union said he and far north colleagues were concerned the enterprise agency was neglecting the county in favour of the Highland capital.
But HIE bosses insist they do not favour one area over others and say it is vital to encourage economic growth in the far north as within the rest of the region.
Mr Ness raised the concern after hearing from HIE chief executive Alex Paterson at the Scottish Trades Union Conference on Saturday.
The union delegate said Mr Paterson talked about multi-national companies seizing upon opportunities in Inverness with little or no discussion about elsewhere in the region
He said with the recent closures of Icetech, DE Shoes, DR Simpsons and Jim Bews and with Caithness Stone Industries in administration, it was incumbent on business chiefs and politicians to prioritise the far north economy.
"The way Mr Paterson was speaking at the conference, everything seemed to be going towards Inverness and we just seem to be losing out on everything," he said.
"There was no mention of Caithness being involved in any economic opportunities.
"If all these multi-national companies are willing to invest in the Highlands – instead of going to Inverness – they should be looking at Caithness as we have a vast number of skilled workers crying out for employment."
Added Mr Ness: "The area has been decline ever since (former UK Energy Secretary) Cecil Parkinson’s announcement which led to the closure of Dounreay’s PFR in 1994.
"Kids leaving at school in six years’ time will not have Dounreay to rely on and there will be nothing else for them.
"We should have already started planning for the future and I think they should be doing more for Caithness."
Roy Kirk, HIE’s Caithness and Sutherland area manager, said the agency did recognise Caithness and Mr Paterson did speak about a number of projects and businesses happening in the county at the conference.
He said HIE were actively working on making Caithness an attractive area for national and multinational investment.
"It is most definitely not the case that HIE favours any area over another with inward investors," he said.
"At the meeting, Alex spoke about the whole region’s success in attracting inward investment – including in Moray, Lewis and at John O’Groats.
"Millions of pounds’ worth of investment has been put into projects to support existing and new businesses to diversify the economy in the north of Scotland.
"At the meeting, as well as recognising some of the recent challenges, Alex also highlighted a range of projects and businesses which HIE supports which are in growth mode, including Kongsberg, JGC, Scrabster and Wick harbours, John O’Groats and the cutting edge research being delivered through North Highland College and the Centre for Energy and the Environment."
Mr Kirk said he and his colleagues were working on a two-pronged strategy to support inward investment in Caithness and Sutherland: "On the one hand, our team is working very hard through a range of infrastructure projects and other activities to create the right conditions for investors.
"Secondly, we are actively promoting the Caithness pitch as strongly as any other part of the region to potential investors both from throughout the UK and overseas."
