Despite talk of multi-billion-pound investments, Grangemouth risks being forgotten – Barrie Cunning
Scotland’s politicians need to work together across party lines to build a better nation, starting with the plans to help Grangemouth recover from the loss of 400 jobs with the closure of its refinery
When I started out in politics, the best advice I got was to have fire in your belly for change and always go with what you believe in. That was from Veronica McTernan who, unbeknown to me at the time, was the mother of John McTernan, former press secretary to Tony Blair.
Looking back, the wisdom of that advice seems as obvious now as it did then, and it’s remained central to everything I do and, in many respects, underpins my rationale for establishing Scotland 2050. I fundamentally believe that Scotland can be a better country if we have a more collaborative and consensus-seeking approach to politics that focuses on tackling the structural issues affecting Scotland today as we seek to build a better tomorrow.
I was pleased to see that one of the first things that new Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra did was write to all party leaders to look to create a cross-party commission to tackle child poverty in Scotland. But working together shouldn’t just be about one issue, it should be about all issues affecting Scotland, whether it be health, education, housing or the economy.
Fed up with broken promises
A cross-party approach underpinned by realpolitik and a willingness to work together to deliver for the people of Scotland should be the number one priority. Quite simply, country first, party second. I’m proud that Scotland 2050 is the voice of civic Scotland that brings together people from all walks of life who have a shared goal of making this country the best it can be.
At the Scotland 2050 conference this year, I delivered a keynote speech and took questions from the floor. At first, I thought people were annoyed with us or about something we hadn’t done, but the reality is that people are fed up with broken promises.
The questions ranged from climate justice, support for unpaid carers, helping people back into work, help for Scotland’s housing sector, better access to health services, and support for the creative sector. What really struck me was that, whilst people were clearly frustrated with things, they cared deeply about Scotland and its potential to be better, and were looking for politicians to do something.
This is where Scotland 2050 fits in. In addition to holding the main conference in June, we are able, through our engagement, advocacy and influence, to articulate policy positions that we feel will be a benefit for Scotland and for its people.
Doing the right thing
As mentioned in a previous column, Scotland 2050 has made official representations to the Treasury ahead of the Budget on October 28. In that submission, we had seven key asks but the one I want to draw particular attention to is about the future of Grangemouth, following the closure of the refinery.
I’m calling for a summit on the future of Grangemouth to take place this side of Christmas with key stakeholders from both the UK and Scottish governments. I have written to party leaders John Swinney, Alex Cole-Hamilton, Michael Marra, Malcolm Offord, Ross Greer, Gillian McKay and Russell Findlay, as well as Michael Shanks MP, the UK energy minister, to kickstart these discussions.
Going back to my opening remarks, this is something I passionately believe in and, dare I say, it’s also called doing the right thing. The reality is that the closure of the refinery removed several hundred skilled jobs from a community built around the site.
In the spirit of cross-party working, we really need to get politicians and industry round the table to figure out what can be done for Grangemouth.
READ MORE: Why Grangemouth's green fuels blueprint has stalled amid fears of 'irreversible industrial decline'
Too much being asked of private sector
Investment by the National Wealth Fund depends on propositions meeting its commercial criteria. These include delivering a positive financial return – which can be potentially challenging for a first-of-a-kind project – supporting the transition to net zero and bringing in private finance. We believe that these tests are too hard to meet as the onus is on the private sector to invest and take all the associated risk and this, of itself, is a barrier to doing something at Grangemouth.
Project Willow, a feasibility study into Grangemouth’s future by consultants Ernst and Young, estimated that about £3.5 billion in investment will be necessary to reach Grangemouth’s full potential.
It made nine recommendations such as hydrothermal plastics recycling which has the potential to create 25 to 60 jobs but would require between £150 million to £250m in capital investment; dissolution plastics recycling (between 35 and 40 jobs with an estimated £25m to £30m investment); acetone-butanol-ethanol biorefining (between 80 and 100 jobs with £215m-£265m of capital investment); second generation bioethanol (up to 60 jobs, with £350m-£430m of investment); and e-methanol for aviation fuel (up to 270 jobs, with £2bn of investment).
However it's been over a year since Ernst and Young submitted its findings and none of these options has come to fruition. It is vital that the Scottish and UK governments and opposition party leaders work together to find a suitable way forward to restore the lost jobs, support a vibrant community and ensure that Grangemouth isn’t forgotten about or left behind.
If you agree with us that there needs to be a plan and a summit for Grangemouth, please go to the Scotland 2050 website, www.scotland-2050.co.uk, and pledge your support. This is about the future of Scotland, and we all have a part to play.
Barrie Cunning is the founder of Scotland 2050 and the managing director of Pentland Communications.
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