Just when you think Westminster has become a complete basket case, it goes and does something that makes sense.
Of course, it is only right that hundreds of civil servants who work for the Department For Energy Security and Net Zero should be relocated to here in Aberdeen. I mean, where else would you site a government body that’s trying to increase investor confidence in North Sea oil and gas than in the city where the industry is based?
Mind you, given the track record of the Tories, it wouldn’t have surprised me if they had decided Basingstoke would be the ideal spot.
Still, let’s not be churlish. We are about to get an influx of some 200 jobs to help bolster and transition the most important industry in the north-east, and that can only be a good thing.
Sure, there is still the argument to be had about how we get to net zero – although there is no quibbling that we need to. And, yes, leaving oil in the ground is certainly one way to do it. In fact, it’s one I support – to an extent. But it doesn’t make sense if we then import oil from elsewhere because we’re not using the stuff on our own doorstep.
All that does is boost the economies of other countries – Russia included – while making our energy needs dependent on foreign powers – Russia included. Which may not be the best of ideas. Not to mention the carbon footprint involved in shipping oil supplies.
Which means anything and everything should be done to make best use of the dwindling resource we still have while balancing the need to stop burning the planet. That, hopefully, is what this influx of civil servant jobs will help to do, right here in the heart of the energy sector’s homeland.
A major boost for Aberdeen – in more ways than one
More than anything else, though, it’s a major boost to bring hundreds of new jobs to Aberdeen. Credit is due to the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce for its tireless campaign to ensure the Westminster government does the right thing by the north-east.
As well as boosting the energy industry, having hundreds of additional workers will boost the Granite City itself. That’s an opportunity that should be seized and the most made of it.
So, let’s hope these 200 folk relocating to Aberdeen are based right in the heart of the city. And, when I say based, I mean physically in an office for most of their working week, not working remotely from wherever.
The more people working in the city centre, the better. They will give a much-needed boost to our shops, our cafes, our restaurants and, yes, even our bars. Let’s make after-work drinks a thing again.
A city centre needs people if it is to survive and thrive. Remote working – for all its undeniable benefits for individuals – has taken its toll on town centres and their businesses across the UK, and Aberdeen is no exception.
Now we have the possibility of a couple of hundred more civil servants arriving, can we take this as a marker and clarion call to encourage workers to get back into the office and back into the heart of Aberdeen?
Scott Begbie is a journalist and editor, as well as PR and comms manager for Aberdeen Inspired
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