Councillors back “visionary” plan for Orkney’s economic recovery

Orkney Islands Councillors have agreed a new funding package to support an ambitious and visionary action plan for Orkney’s economic recovery post COVID-19.

An innovative document developed by the Economic Recovery Steering Group – ASPIRE Orkney – came before Elected Members at a special meeting of the Full Council on Wednesday seeking financial support of up to £250,000 to enable delivery of the enterprising programme.

Councillors gave their backing to the request for financial support, which will be sourced from the Council’s existing £5 million pound Coronavirus Business Hardship Fund.

The funding package will be used to employ a project management and administration team, critical in taking forward the ASPIRE and Recovery Planning work over the next two years. Their role will be to support the work of the ERSG including developing a detailed Recovery Plan Framework, stakeholder engagement and delivery of the action plan.

ASPIRE builds on the premise that to recover from the pandemic, and build a better future, Orkney must aspire to be “Ambitious, Sustainable, Prosperous, Inclusive, Resilient and Enterprising”.

OIC Executive Director of Development and Infrastructure, Gavin Barr, told members: “We must ensure the Orkney economy emerges quickly and strongly from the economic crisis. There has been a tremendous amount of work put into this by the business sector representatives, Council officials and other organisations.

“This is an ambitious project set forward in ASPIRE but this is about unlocking our potential and approval would give a major signal of confidence and incentive for the Steering Group to continue their hard work moving this forward.”

Chair of the OERSG, Glen McLellan, stressed that successful delivery of ASPIRE will require bold, innovative, collective leadership and action by Team Orkney.

“No single agency can make this happen. We need a new, deeper partnership between the OIC, HIE, skills agencies, the private, third and voluntary sectors, based on a shared ambition and vision for Orkney. This document sets out our vision for Orkney’s economic recovery, the challenges that we face, our action plan and our proposed delivery model.”

Mr McLellan advised that the economic landscape is going to look very different post COVID-19 – with a “complete reset of the economy, ways of living and ways of working” required.

“Many of our businesses are experiencing a significant reduction in turnover and employment. Some businesses have already closed, and jobs have already been lost. A large number of people in our communities are living on reduced wages and less secure contracts. Many of our business owners have had to exhaust reserves where they had them and borrow at unprecedented levels to achieve survival.

“The economic impact of COVID is affecting individual, family, and community wellbeing. Challenges are yet to emerge, including the market response to Brexit. In the face of this, Orkney can work together to create a different kind of economic future which benefits the whole community. We can choose to build back better and create a true wellbeing economy, which prioritises economic prosperity and the creation of quality jobs, with an unequivocal focus on climate change, fair work and diversity.”

The enterprising document highlights the challenges and how finances could be better used to ensure an effective, immediate impact in the local economy and to gain a better understanding for all of what the Strategic Reserve Fund is for with agreement on how best the asset should best be used over the next 40 years.

Council Leader Councillor James Stockan commended the work of the businessmen and women within the group who have led on this while also maintaining their own private enterprises amidst the challenges of a pandemic.

“We need to move apace on this – planning the recovery is the most important step we can take for the Orkney business economy and for everyone’s wellbeing. How we are going to do things in the future and how we work together for that to be led by the business community in Orkney is essential.

“As identified, Orkney is one of the hardest hit areas in Scotland as a result of the pandemic and, as such, it is vital that we react now to enable us to move into a recovery sooner.

“This is a brave move but we must engage with the fast-moving business arms of what we have in Orkney and our business representatives have demonstrated that the incentive for all their hard work is the whole of Orkney and the entire economy.

“We are very fortunate as we have the Strategic Reserve Fund which was set up to make sure we have an economy after oil – this now is about having an economy after COVID. We need people to guide us and who better than those from within the industries themselves to take this forward.”

Councillors agreed a revised set of recommendations, including the Council commitment to an allocation of up to £250,000 from the Council’s Coronavirus Business Hardship Fund, to enable the Economic Recovery Steering Group to establish the necessary programme management resource to instigate delivery of the ASPIRE programme.

It was further recommended that powers be delegated to the Executive Director of Development and Infrastructure, in consultation with the Leader, the Chair of the Development and Infrastructure Committee, the Head of Finance and the Solicitor to the Council, to establish an appropriate mechanism to distribute the funding.