Council offers support over Moray air base job losses
27th October 2010
Highland Councillors have offered practical support and assistance to Moray Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Moray Task Force in their efforts to cope with the impact of significant job losses resulting from the impending closure of RAF Kinloss, and the continuing uncertainty over the future of RAF Lossiemouth.
Convener Sandy Park raised the matter as an emergency item at the full Council meeting in Inverness on Thursday 28th October 2010 when he highlighted the huge strain placed on the Moray economy by last week's announcement of defence cuts by the UK Government.
The MOD's presence at Kinloss and Lossiemouth made it the most RAF dependent region in the UK, with a total of 5,700 FTE jobs (16% of total employment) which could be at risk and £158m of income. The loss of these jobs would double the claimant count unemployment rate in the area.
He said: "The closure of RAF Kinloss will account for more than 40% of these job losses and so there is a need for concerted action to tackle the severe consequences which will also spill over into The Highland Council area and Aberdeenshire."
The Council heard that initial work had been undertaken by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Moray Council and is set out in the report "MOD Rationalisation in Moray - Scotland's response". This identified the need for investment in individuals (skills and training), infrastructure (housing, business space, broadband, roads and rail), inward investment (an investor ready region for renewable energy, sustainable technologies, tourism, food and drink and data centres), and identity (the social economy, community development and culture). This plan would undoubtedly be the focus for joint action over the coming months.
The Highland Council already has a link with Moray Council through Highland Opportunity Ltd and a joint Business Gateway contract. Business Gateway is already liaising with HIE on the provision of additional start-up advice and wider business support.
Related Businesses
Related Articles
As intimated in Highland Council's budget plan, a new senior management structure is to be implemented following approval by Council 14th March. It reconfigures the senior management team into two layers, rather than three and brings Highland Council into line with other benchmarked authorities.
Today, Morrison Construction introduced some of their local apprentices who are working on the UK Governments' Levelling Up Funded refurbishment project at the Northern Meeting Park in Inverness. All these apprentices have been recruited from the Highland area.
The by-election to elect a councillor to represent Ward 19 - Inverness South on The Highland Council has been won by Duncan Cameron McDonald - Independent who was one of the eight candidates who contested the vacancy. Voters in the ward went to the poll yesterday (Thursday 11 April) and the by-election count was held this morning in The Highland Council Headquarters in Inverness.
The Technology Placement Programme offers funding to businesses in the Highland Council area to cover up to 70% of the cost of employing a student or graduate. The Technology Placement Programme offers funding to businesses in the Highland Council area to cover up to 70% of the cost of employing a student or graduate.
Following the success of its Business Digital Grant scheme launched last year, The Highland Council is delighted to announce further funding. This is to help Highland companies access digital support alongside other business growth support.
The Highland Council is delighted to confirm a highly successful second year for Public Service Obligation (PSO) flights between Wick and Aberdeen. The period from April 2023 to March 2024 has seen a substantial increase in passenger numbers, with several months seeing over 1,000 passengers using the service, and overall the service has seen year on year growth of 25%.
Members of Highland Council, who met on Thursday 14 March 2024, approved a corporate Digital Ambition, which has been designed to deliver significant organisational change across Council services, recognising the current priorities within the organisation. The Strategy, which is embedded within the wider Council Delivery Plan, has been developed to focus attention and resources on areas of change which will deliver the greatest benefit to the Council.
The Council remains committed to supporting mentoring in our schools, including the support that is currently delivered through the MCR Pathways programme. Highland Council is currently undertaking a review of Employability Support provided by a number of different council services and how these relate to the work carried out by external partners and in our schools.
Highland Council members have considered and agreed a revised draft Highland Outcome Improvement Plan. The partnership plan has been reviewed and updated by the Community Planning Partnership.
Members at today's (14 March 2024) meeting of The Highland Council agreed the local authority's new draft Community Wealth Building Strategy. They were also asked to note that a period of public engagement on the draft will now begin, with a final strategy returning to full Council for consideration in September.