Enterprise staff come under fire
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A LOCAL trade union representative has claimed enterprise officials in Caithness are “not pulling their weight” when it comes to renewable energy.
John Crowden, who criticised agency staff earlier this year, said there was a “can-do attitude” with enterprise employees in Orkney that seemed to be lacking in Caithness.
“It seems strange that Highlands and Islands Enterprise can do so much on the other side of the Pentland Firth but not so much here,” he said.
Mr Crowden spoke out at last Wednesday’s meeting of the Thurso and Wick Trade Union Council and claimed more needed to be done in the county to ensure it benefits from renewable energy projects.
He again claimed the agency had provided £1.8 million to create marine renewable facilities at Hatston in Kirkwall.
“HIE is building on spec to service the industry at Hatston but they are not doing that here. They could be doing that at Scrabster,” said Mr Crowden, who was also unhappy that the supply chain is not being promoted locally either.
Trade union council chairman Derrick Milnes expressed concern too.
“We need to raise our profile and highlight that Caithness is a major player in this,” he said.
Eann Sinclair, the programme manager for the Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership, said the area has to ensure the infrastructure needed by the developers is available here.
But he felt progress is being made and said that “things are coming together”.
Mr Sinclair pointed out the enterprise agency has invested £5m at Scrabster harbour which has been identified as a key port for the renewables industry. He also said 26 acres of land at Scrabster Farm is earmarked to service the industry while firms are winning contracts as part of the current testing programme.
Mr Milnes said these issues will be raised at a private meeting with HIE tomorrow (Thursday).
Replying to the criticism, Roy Kirk, area manager for Caithness and Sutherland, said: “I am looking forward to meeting with representatives of the trades council at what will be the first of a series of dialogues to share ideas on how we work together to grow our local economy.”
He went on: “Partnership working is already a vital part of local economic development in the Caithness and North Sutherland area. HIE’s role working beside other public sector bodies as part of the Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership is delivering significant results for the North. HIE is proud of the achievements of Caithness in the last few years.
“Over 500 jobs have been created and safeguarded and there have been a number of major infrastructure developments including a £14 million development of the North Highland College
“This is a time of opportunity for Caithness and North Sutherland and, as part of the bigger Scottish picture, our efforts in developing key sectors like energy and business services offer vital opportunities for those living, working and investing in the area.”
In April, Mr Crowden called for agency officials to “get off their backsides” and fight for renewable energy projects in Caithness. His view was shared by Davy Alexander, who claimed Orkney is “light years ahead of Caithness” in the way it deals with the marine renewable industry.
