The Courier (on Saturday and again yesterday) highlighted the lack of progress towards getting more civil service jobs into Dundee, despite SNP promises made in opposition to achieve this.The articles come in the wake of figures revealed in the answer to a parliamentary question made by Alison McInnes, Liberal Democrat MSP for North East Scotland, which show that just 1.17% of Scottish Government’s core workforce is Dundee-based – just 95 posts compared to 4736 in Edinburgh and 1603 in Glasgow.
Commenting on the figures she obtained from Finance Secretary John Swinney, Alison said, “Before the last election the SNP were very vocal about their plans to relocate civil service jobs away from Edinburgh. But it has been two years since they came to power, and yet they are still unable to produce any evidence of success. It is about time the people of Dundee saw some real action from the SNP Government rather than vague promises for the future.”
The City Council Leader's reaction to concerns about the matter and regarding his nebulous answers on the issue were unfortunate and highlighted the administration’s nervousness about the SNP being subject to any scrutiny of the issue of bringing civil service jobs to the city.
The record of the SNP government on its promises made in opposition to bring further civil service jobs to the city has thus far proved a lamentable failure and whether the SNP administration likes it or not, the opposition groups in the city have the right to scrutinise what the administration is doing to make good the SNP promise to bring these jobs to Dundee.
Whilst in opposition, barely a single week went by when SNP politicians such as Shona Robison called for the civil service relocation policy to be stepped up, but in two years in government, we have seen SNP promises to bear no fruit whatsoever.
I was deeply concerned at the weekend when the Council Leader told the Courier that he “wouldn’t want to raise any false hopes” about more civil service jobs coming to Dundee. Does he not realise that the ability to relocate posts to Dundee lies in the hands of his SNP colleague, Finance Secretary John Swinney? The SNP has run out of excuses.
Through the new Scrutiny Committee of the City Council, I intend to raise the issue, to ascertain the specifics about what the SNP administration is doing to lobby their government and specifically their Ministers to make good their promises on civil service jobs for Dundee.
The record of the SNP government on its promises made in opposition to bring further civil service jobs to the city has thus far proved a lamentable failure and whether the SNP administration likes it or not, the opposition groups in the city have the right to scrutinise what the administration is doing to make good the SNP promise to bring these jobs to Dundee.
Whilst in opposition, barely a single week went by when SNP politicians such as Shona Robison called for the civil service relocation policy to be stepped up, but in two years in government, we have seen SNP promises to bear no fruit whatsoever.
I was deeply concerned at the weekend when the Council Leader told the Courier that he “wouldn’t want to raise any false hopes” about more civil service jobs coming to Dundee. Does he not realise that the ability to relocate posts to Dundee lies in the hands of his SNP colleague, Finance Secretary John Swinney? The SNP has run out of excuses.
Through the new Scrutiny Committee of the City Council, I intend to raise the issue, to ascertain the specifics about what the SNP administration is doing to lobby their government and specifically their Ministers to make good their promises on civil service jobs for Dundee.