Lib Dems vow to rethink job move policy

Published on Monday 26 February 2007 11:52

AN overhaul of the Scottish Executive's controversial relocation policy which has seen thousands of jobs moved out of Edinburgh will be promised in the Liberal Democrats' manifesto for the Holyrood elections.

The party believes the original intention of dispersing public sector jobs to all parts of Scotland has been undermined by Government decisions to shift many agencies along the M8 from the Capital to Glasgow.

Now the Lib Dems want "geographic targeting" of jobs, possibly involving quotas.

The relocation policy is expected to be heavily criticised by the Scottish Parliament's audit committee, which took the unprecedented step of calling Environment Minister Ross Finnie to give evidence on the forced transfer of Scottish Natural Heritage from Edinburgh to Inverness.

The move, which was opposed by staff, unions, local politicians and the quango's own board, cost 27 million and resulted in 80 per cent of staff refusing to go.

The next potential target for relocation is the new culture quango, Creative Scotland, to be created by the merger of the Edinburgh-based Scottish Arts Council and Glasgow-based Scottish Screen.