| The Dundee Partnership — the broad-based body aimed at fighting the city’s corner — is expected to meet soon to begin formulating an agenda for the talks.
City council economic convener Councillor Joe Morrow said, “The Partnership involves both businesses and those who work with communities in some of the more deprived areas and will show the enterprise minister a united determination that everyone in the city wants Dundee to succeed,” commented Mr Morrow.
Mr Wallace agreed to come to Dundee after talks last month with a deputation comprising the city’s MSPs, Mr Morrow and local Federation of Small Businesses chairman Charles Goodall.
Dundee East SNP MSP Shona Robison was central to organising last month’s meeting with Mr Wallace and today she backed the idea of the Partnership approach to presenting the city’s case to him.
Preparations for the Wallace summit and other developments are expected to see increased momentum being built up within the Dundee Partnership.
High on the agenda will almost certainly be the continuing campaign to bring more civil service jobs to Dundee, although announcements about a series of relocations are expected to have been made by the Scottish Executive before the summit.
Although Dundee has had some notable successes recently in bringing civil service jobs to the city the hope is that still more are to follow.
The next announcement by the Scottish Executive is expected to be the relocation of over 60 Inspectorate of Education posts. Dundee has tabled a bid for the new HQ.
Other relocations still on course to be announced by Holyrood before the end of the year are:-
8 NHS Health Scotland (formerly the Health Education Board Scotland) — 81 posts.
8 NHS Education Scotland — 100 posts.
8 The office of the Accountant in Bankruptcy — 83 posts.
8 Visitscotland — 152 posts.
8 Risk Management Authority — 20 posts.
8 The Mental Health Tribunal Service — 10 to 15 posts. |
