John Swinney warned about bus maker Alexander Dennis relocation a year ago
John Swinney was warned that bus maker Alexander Dennis was thinking about moving away from Scotland nearly a year ago, according to reports.
The First Minister was told in a letter from the firm's president and chief executive in August that it was 'reconsidering' its 'entire investment', the Herald reports.
Alexander Dennis announced last week that it was closing its factories in Camelon and Larbert as part of plans to centralise its operations in England.
President and chief executive of its parent company Paul Soubry said: "We are regretfully left with the impression through recent developments that the Scottish Government has little regard for domestic bus manufacturing jobs in Scotland and we have no choice but to reconsider our entire investment in the Scottish operations of Alexander Dennis.
"In fact, in an attempt to enhance our price competitiveness we have already been forced to offshore certain fabrication functions to China.
" I would appreciate an urgent face-to-face meeting with you and key members of your Government to further discuss this critical situation."
Labour MP for Falkirk Euan Stainbank said: "It is absolutely astonishing that John Swinney was informed of the real risk to Alexander Dennis's Scottish operations close to a year ago. He appears in the interim to have done absolutely nothing to avert this.
"This is a monumental failure of SNP industrial policy. Greater Manchester bought more than five times as many buses from Alexander Dennis than the SNP did - operating under the exact same legal framework. John Swinney should be embarrassed by that."
A month after Soubry's letter, a further call between the First Minister and NFI and ADL showed that Swinney advised and asked that Scottish Enterprise 'exhaust all options to support the business'.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'We are exploring all viable options throughout the consultation period to allow the firm to retain their hard-working employees and manufacturing and production facilities at Falkirk and Larbert.
'Since 2020, ADL secured orders for more zero emission buses than any other single manufacturer through the Scottish Zero Emission Bus Challenge Fund and its predecessor the Scottish Ultra Low Emission Bus Scheme.
" ADL has received £58m of Scottish Government subsidy for vehicles under these programmes. ADL have secured orders for more than 360 vehicles through Scottish Government zero emission bus funding programmes, compared to the 160 currently on order from Manchester.
'In response to correspondence in August 2024, the First Minister met with the company that same month, and Scottish Enterprise have been supporting the company with additional supportive measures.'
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