AS has been widely reported and commented on by the Tele, EE plan to relocate their call centre operations to Glasgow and we will see the sad closure of the Greenock site. Those of us long enough in the tooth will have remembered its every incarnation as a call centre and most of us know someone who works or has worked in there, my own family included.

It’s another depressing chapter in the Inverclyde story of losing large scale employers in recent years. IBM, National Semis, EE, Amazon, Texas Instruments, and now, more recently announced, even job losses at RBS. It is something which concerns us all, no matter your political banner.

We also must face the reality that no amount of press releases or angry letters from politicians changes the minds of big corporates. For my part I spoke to EE/BT last week and sought reassurance they will do everything in their power to help those who want to relocate to Glasgow to do so. They promise me they will work with every single employee in Greenock and do what they can.

Wishful thinking will not stop the closure of yet another big business here. Inverclyde needs a root and branch strategy for how it is going to attract new employers. A top-down strategy, backed by all parties and levels of government, with investment, with ideas, with the buy-in of the business community and locals.

We can’t just bemoan the loss of the EE call centre, it needs to be a drastic wake-up call. Good local job creation is the only way we will grow both the economy and population of Inverclyde. 

On this note, I was reminded of Inverclyde’s once proud legacy of looking past its hills and towards the sea for opportunity, trade and growth.

The BBC recently highlighted the Campaign to Save Inchgreen Dry Dock group’s efforts to attract investment into what remains the largest dock of its kind in Britain. The potential for job creation and business investment is undeniable, with international shipping on the rise and the Clyde River being the most commercially viable waterway in Scotland.  

I repeat my call for the Scottish Government to help Inverclyde Council properly leverage its strengths and attract investment to Greenock’s waterfront. The motto for Inverclyde Council reads 'Meliora Semper Prospicimus', which means 'we look forward to better things'. Business and political leadership must finally bring those better things to Inverclyde.