This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
Pensions agency relocates in Borders
21/02/2003
The Scottish Public Pensions Agency Office opened in
Galashiels today, following policy to move organisations
out of Edinburgh and disperse more government jobs
throughout Scotland.
Deputy First Minister Jim Wallace said today that the
creation of 170 local jobs by moving the Scottish Public
Pensions Agency to Galashiels was a 'vindication of the
Executive's relocation policy'.
Opening the new Office, the Minister said the Executive
wants to see more Government organisations relocated
outside of Edinburgh because "we believe that the services
supplied to the people of Scotland should be provided from
sites well dispersed across Scotland."
The decision to relocate the Agency from Edinburgh to
Galashiels was taken by Ministers in July 2001 in
accordance with the Executive's policy of moving
organisations out of Edinburgh when they are created,
reorganised or when significant a property breaks occurs.
The opportunity to relocate the SPPA was taken when the
lease on their Edinburgh property was due to expire in
November 2002.
Jim Wallace said:
"There are 170 staff, recruited from the Borders, as
part of the move, now working in this building. This is a
clear vindication of the Executive's relocation policy
which aims to disperse more Government jobs throughout
Scotland.
"In locating the headquarters of the Agency in
Tweedbank, Galashiels, the Scottish Executive is
demonstrating its continuing commitment to spread public
bodies across Scotland. The Executive believes that the
services supplied to the people of Scotland should be
provided from sites well dispersed across Scotland. This is
part of our vision of an open, accessible and responsive
government close to the people it serves. Therefore we
decided that relocation should be encouraged and that there
should be a presumption against location in Edinburgh for
new organisations or those which had to move in any
event.
"Since September 1999, when the Executive's policy on
relocation was first announced, around 650 posts in 7
public bodies have been located, or are currently being
located, outwith Edinburgh. The Executive's Enterprise and
Lifelong Learning Department is wholly located in Glasgow.
The new Food Standards Agency in Aberdeen. The Commission
for the Regulation of Care Headquarters has been
established in Dundee and that of Scottish Water in
Dunfermline. And now we have SPPA in the Borders. The
programme of reviews of further bodies that might relocate
is continuing.
"The way I look at it is that there is no reason why the
SPPA had to be in Edinburgh and there were plenty of good
reasons why it should be in Galashiels. The reasons were
that:
- there were potential sites available for
development;
- the new offices could be made available when the
Agency was due to move out of Edinburgh;
- the Agency would be able to deliver an efficient
and effective service from Galashiels;
- it would bring services closer to the people of
Scotland; and
- it would bring much needed help to an area which
had suffered badly due to the problems in the
electronics industry and the problems associated with
the foot and mouth outbreak.
"In recent times the Borders has suffered badly due to
closures in the electronics industry, textiles and the
problems associated with the foot and mouth outbreak. The
decision to transfer the SPPA to the Galashiels area is a
most welcome boost for the central Borders and will have
benefits not just for employment but also for businesses,
housing, transport and schools in the area.
"The way we have managed the SPPA relocation
demonstrates our commitment to continue to work with local
partners to build a more diverse economy that delivers jobs
and a more secure future for local communities."