Dundee is on the brink of a once-in-a-generation chance to transform its economic and social future, according to a major new report.
Councillors will hear that the Scottish Government has approved a plan to attract new industries, build on the boost in V&A Dundee visitors and improve the employability and job prospects of residents.
The finalised version of the single outcome agreement (SOA) will be the high-level policy document against which the efforts of the Dundee Partnership the city council and other public sector bodies will be judged over the next four years.
It states: “The prevailing economic climate cannot dampen the sense that Dundee is undergoing a radical transformation which will leave the city well placed to benefit from an upturn in wider economic conditions.
“The £1 billion waterfront development, the V&A at Dundee project and the oppor-tunity to attract marine renewables investment provide confidence that the foundations for future economic growth will be firmly established over the next five years.”
The report does not shy away from Dundee’s ongoing social problems.
“Over the last 10 years, the economic prospects of Dundee have improved dramatically. Indeed it now stands on the cusp of a scale of economic regeneration which occurs once in a generation or longer.
“The potential impact of securing offshore renewables manufacturing and the V&A at Dundee can be genuinely transformational and these will build on the city’s strengths in life sciences, digital media and creative industries.”
“At the same time, however, the levels of poverty, deprivation and substance misuse in the city persist.
“Over the next four years our challenge will be to achieve greater fairness by ensuring people from our community regeneration areas are able to benefit from developments in Dundee and support people even as they experience the impact of welfare reform, the difficult economic climate and ongoing inequalities.”
Economic figures show the city has one of the highest proportions of residents claiming jobseeker’s allowance of any Scottish local authority and earnings per person were 13% below the national average last year.
A higher than average dependence on public sector jobs is also a problem, given the constraints on government budgets. Future economic growth will be achieved through a range of strategic approaches.
Priority will be given to creating the physical infrastructure required to provide a platform for future growth and supporting the development of sectors where Dundee has demonstrable strengths or opportunities to grow such as life sciences, digital media, offshore renewables and tourism.
Addressing above-average employability levels and in particular worklessness among young people is another key strand of the plan.
“Dundee Waterfront is one of the UK’s top 20 regeneration projects spanning five distinctive development zones. The scale of the project is reflected in forecasts that it could eventually support 9000 jobs.
“Development plots will become available over the period 2013 to 2017 and a marketing campaign is in place to help secure investments. In 2013 alone over £100 million of capital projects will be started or completed,” the report says.
Tackling the low level of business start-ups will be important and support will be offered through the Business Gateway, the city council’s E-Zone project and the New Enterprise Allowance from Jobcentre Plus to encourage improved levels of entrepreneurship.
The SOA sets out a series of economic targets to be achieved over the next four years.
These include raising the number of jobs based in the city from 72,000 to 75,000 and increasing the proportion of working-age residents who have a job from 68.4% to 72% while bringing the unemployment rate down from 8.9% to 8.4%.
The value of tourism should rise from £137 million to £165 million and the number of new business start-ups should increase by more than a quarter.
The report adds: “Partners will also work to ensure that local people have the skills to compete in the labour market and to compete in sectors which have been earmarked as offering economic growth potential.
“Sector-based work academies have been or will be established for sectors such as health and care, retail, contact centres, life sciences and engineering and will continue to provide a vehicle for the delivery of pre-employment training and work experience.”
Council chief executive David Dorward said: “The SOA for Dundee presents long-term ambition for improved outcomes in the city and high-level indicators which will measure change, again over the long term.
“The SOA sets a direction for the Dundee Partnership along with challenging performance targets.”
The partnership comprises the city council, the Scottish Government, NHS Tayside, Scottish Enterprise and other major public bodies, supported by the likes of Dundee College, both universities and Jobcentre Plus.