Only jobs can keep people in the Highlands, says MP Jamie Stone as he calls for Green Freeport in Cromarty Firth
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Far North MP Jamie Stone has told parliament that only jobs can stop the "curse of the Highlands" – that of depopulation.
He was speaking during a debate on the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, when he reiterated his support for Opportunity Cromarty Firth's Green Freeport bid.
The bid is led by Port of Cromarty Firth, a consortium of businesses, and regional stakeholders, and is up against four other ports across Scotland.
Two Scottish locations will be given Green Freeport status, with investment of up to £26 million each, in a decision to be taken by the UK and Scottish governments.
Speaking on the bill, Mr Stone attributed the abandoned houses that can be seen across Caithness to depopulation, naming this the "curse of the Highlands". He recalled that it was the advent of the Dounreay nuclear establishment which "halted and reversed that depopulation" by providing jobs for local people.
Mr Stone, the Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, said: "It is all well and good debating more or less housing in our communities, but if we do not have quality employment for the young generation for the future, the finest housing plan – however we put it together – will be undermined. It is no accident that, after Dounreay came to be, we saw house building on a very large scale in Caithness, around Wick and Thurso.
"Dounreay and the establishment of the oil fabrication yards in Nigg changed the course of history in the Highlands. It meant that local people could remain local. For me, it meant that I could get married and have children where I grew up.
"That is why I am throwing my full weight behind the Cromarty Firth Green Freeport bid. It was a real shame that no MPs from the party that runs the Scottish Government were present at the debate, because I would have liked them to hear that message loud and clear."
