First Minister John Swinney says Inverclyde needs 'special' action to stem the massive flow of jobs leaving the area following the announcement of cuts at Ferguson Marine.
Mr Swinney held talks this morning with council leader Stephen McCabe, council chief executive Stuart Jamieson, and Inverclyde MSP Stuart McMillan, who co-chairs Inverclyde's economic taskforce with Cllr McCabe.
The First Minister heard of Inverclyde's ongoing 'jobs crisis' which has seen around 1,500 jobs leave the area in recent years, with Ferguson Marine the latest local firm to announce a redundancy programme.
Major employers including Amazon, EE, IBM and BPI have pulled out of Inverclyde over the last five years, leading to calls for the area to receive tailored support from the Scottish Government and its agencies.
Council leader Stephen McCabe had asked Mr Swinney to visit the area to see its problems first-hand and listen to arguments in favour of Inverclyde receiving support.
Following his meeting with Cllr McCabe, Mr Swinney was asked by our sister title the Greenock Telegraph whether he would consider Inverclyde a 'special case'.
He said: “Let me not get caught up on terminology, but there are real issues here in Inverclyde.
“I recognise the challenge of depopulation and the challenge of employment loss that is happening.
"The council has set out to me some of the data on that and which does creates a very challenging environment for the area.
“What I said this morning is we will work closely with the task force to find ways in which we can support different developments that will enhance the economic and social opportunities of people in Inverclyde.
“That does require us to do special things for Inverclyde and I am very open to that possibility.”
Mr Swinney defended his government's record in helping the area, which has voted SNP in Holyrood elections since 2016.
He said: “They have got a First Minister and a government who are working very closely to improve economic and social opportunities for the people of Inverclyde.
"That is our absolutely commitment and will continue to do that on an ongoing basis.
“We will continue to work with the taskforce, we hear loud and clear from Inverclyde MSP Stuart McMillan and the council leadership about the importance of these issues.
