PRESS RELEASE
November 3rd, 2010
Green jobs fight goes on
The campaign to bring hundreds of green manufacturing jobs to Inverclyde has taken another twist after two of the rival sites ran into trouble.
The Inchgreen dock was competing to be part of a west coast cluster which would manufacture and maintain wind turbines for the offshore renewable industry but narrowly missed out.
As a result, Inverclyde is set to miss out on millions of pounds in investment and hundreds of much-needed manufacturing jobs.
Now the Campbelltown site has failed again despite receiving millions in government subsidy and the company owners are fighting administration.
Doubts have emerged about the viability of the £65 million proposals for Hunterston given its huge start up costs in these straightened financial times.
These two developments put the proposed west coast cluster in doubt.
This week it was announced that Scottish Enterprise is to invest £70 million in Scottish ports yet Inverclyde will not receive a penny of that cash.
Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil said: “Inverclyde has narrowly missed out on potential investment and jobs because of a highly questionable process that favoured sites in the Highlands and north east of Scotland.
“While the country was coming together to ensure that defence contracts resulted in jobs on the Clyde, the Scottish Government was proceeding with plans to exclude Inverclyde from participating in the renewables jobs of the future?
“Now that the proposed west coast cluster looks set to fall apart, it is vital that the Scottish Government looks again at what Inchgreen can offer – a site that can be ready quickly, inexpensively and supported by a skilled workforce.
“I have called on the minister to meet with the Inverclyde Renewables Alliance, which has made significant progress while others have failed.
“It is vital that an area like Inverclyde, with traditionally high levels of unemployment, is not held back and is actively supported to benefit from this emerging industry.”
ENDS