1000 Highland jobs could be created with freeport announcement

The Scottish Government's decision to back freeports could help create up to 1000 Highland jobs.

Scottish ministers have announced plans to develop "green ports'' as an alternative model to the freeports being set up by the UK Government in the wake of Brexit.

Firms located in any new green ports could potentially benefit from some tax rates reliefs.

The Port of Cromarty Firth's Strategic Business Development Manager, Joanne Allday, outlined how many jobs the announcement could be created in the region.

She said: "We believe it’ll be in the hundreds, if not thousand.

"We have four very large projects we’re trying to deliver as part of this freeport proposal.

"The pipeline of projects that we’re looking at off our shores, it’s bigger than I’ve ever seen in my career.

"I’m not sure if we’ll ever seen anything of this scale again."

She also believes it’ll help ports like The Port of Cromarty Firth to play a vital role in delivering a green economic recovery.

She added: "Our region is ideally place to become a freeport.

"We have a consortium called Opportunity Cromarty Firth, which we’ve been working together on now for almost a year, trying to bring a freeport to the Highlands.

"We have partners including the Highland Council, Global Energy Group, Inverness Harbour Trust, Highland Deephaven and many others working with us to try and make sure this happens in our region.

“This is a golden opportunity for the Highlands and Scotland as a whole and if we work together, we believe we can make the most of it and create the maximum amount of jobs and the maximum amount of business opportunities."

Ministers at Westminster hope to establish at least seven freeports in England, with these areas set to benefit from "generous'' tax reliefs, simplified customs procedures and wider Government support.

Scottish trade minister Ivan McKee claimed there are concerns about criminality, tax evasion and reduced workers' rights in freeport zones, and this is "not a model or an approach that this Scottish Government will sign up to or allow here in Scotland''.

He said the Scottish Government will instead "adapt'' the UK policy, and align it with its values of fair work and developing a lower carbon economy.

Mr McKee told MSPs: "The Scottish Government has developed a proposal which adapts the published UK Government proposition to make them fit for the Scottish context.

"We will take the UK Government's freeport model and apply Scotland's values and priorities to it so that it meets our ambition to develop a net-zero economy and uphold the highest standard of environmental protections and fair work practices.

"Scotland will turn freeports into sustainable, fair, green ports. We won't be engaging with an economic model and mechanism that allows for a race to the bottom.

"Instead the Scottish green port model will be an exemplar, adopting best practice which helps to deliver on net-zero and fair work principles alongside supporting regeneration and innovation ambitions.''