At Tuesday’s meeting of the Moray Council’s Economic Development and Infrastructure Committee Labour Councillor Sandy Keith called for action to develop Moray’s services sector and for action to address Moray’s low wages.

A report presented to the committee stated that the Gross Value Added (GVA) per capita – a key measure of Moray’s economic performance – is almost £6,000 below the Scottish average, at £36,356; as compared to the Scottish average of £42,122. The report also identified that average weekly earnings are significantly below the Scottish average, and that the gap is growing.

Councillor Keith responded to a remark that Moray does not ‘feel’ like a low wage economy. Speaking in the meeting, Councillor Keith said “many folk I’m sure will be doing well, but a great many people will not feel like they’re doing very well – I worked with a number of them until very recently. If the wage rate in Moray increased it would be beneficial all round. This is an issue that has existed for a long time. It would be nice to be able to talk about this being a historical problem, rather than one that is still around us.”

Councillor Keith also called for action to develop Moray’s services sector, pointing out that Moray’s services sector is the third smallest in Scotland. Councillor Keith was assured that a forthcoming review of Moray’s economic strategy will address they key themes and sectors to be targeted for growth. Cllr Keith stated that he very much looked forward to that report.

"It would be nice to be able to talk about this being a historical problem, rather than one that is still around us.” Cllr Sandy Keith
Cllr Sandy Keith
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