Listen
On the move to deliver savings
19/03/2008
Government staff based in Glasgow will work alongside key staff from Scottish Enterprise (SE) and the new Skills Development Scotland (SDS) in moves that will help deliver improved services, better joint working and savings worth up to £2 million a year, John Swinney said today.
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth announced moves that will see:
- Around 450 government staff move from their existing city-centre offices to Atlantic Quay
- Both SE and SDS headquartered in Atlantic Quay
- Around 100 staff from SE and Scottish Development International (SDI) based in the building, with the bulk of SE's other staff moving out to existing SE occupied premises
- Around 100 employees of SDS based at Atlantic Quay
The moves - which are planned to be completed by next April - will ensure that employees of these key agencies work more effectively with Government counterparts and will save up to £2 million per annum in accommodation costs.
Mr Swinney said:
"Our Enterprise Network reforms are designed to deliver more streamlined, better targeted, more effective and more efficient business support. And our Skills Strategy also looks to create more cohesive structures for individuals and employers alike.
"The changes I am announcing today will help deliver on both counts, bringing together the Scottish Government in Glasgow, and HQ functions of SE and SDS.
"Locating the corporate headquarters teams of SE and SDS with SDI and Scottish Government staff under the same roof will ensure more effective joint working towards this Government's aim of increased sustainable economic growth. It will also, with effect from next year, save the taxpayer up to £2 million per annum in rent and rates.
"This move also helps SE to relocate the bulk of their existing HQ-based staff closer to customers, delivering on a key theme of our reforms.
"This is much more than simply shuffling a few staff between desks. It sends out the clear signal that we are serious about making business support - and government services more generally - more effective, focused and efficient."
SG will co-locate the bulk of its staff in Glasgow together with the senior management teams of Scottish Enterprise and the new Skills Development Scotland body alongside the Glasgow based staff of SDI at Atlantic Quay (AQ), the present Scottish Enterprise headquarters building.
The next stage is to find alternative occupiers for Meridian Court and the Europa Building where the bulk of Glasgow-based Scottish Government staff are currently located.
Scottish Enterprise will relocate the bulk of staff currently based at Atlantic Quay to other existing Scottish Enterprise occupied properties.
Skills Development Scotland (SDS) is the new skills body which was announced at the launch of the Skills Strategy for Scotland in September 2007. SDS brings together Careers Scotland, Scottish University for Industry (SUfI) under which learndirect scotland operates, and the skills and learning elements of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. This national body is to be up and running from April 1, 2008 with around 1,500 staff transferring from the above organisations. SDS will play a key role in the implementation of the Skills Strategy and recruitment of a permanent chair, board members and chief executive is currently underway. An interim board and chief executive are in place at present. A new SDS Operating Plan which sets out the new organisation's ambitions for 2008/09 will be published in early April.