Media Centre
Nov
10Moray Economic Partnership welcomes Kinloss announcement
The Moray Economic Partnership has welcomed the news that the 39 Engineers will move to Kinloss in summer 2012.
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Jul
21Expansion plans for Forres engineering company
A Moray precision engineering service company is to benefit from funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) towards a three-year business expansion and workforce development programme.
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Jul
21Swinney meets Moray Economic Partnership and welcomes FirScot expansion plans
Finance Secretary John Swinney today met with the Moray Economic Partnership to discuss the social and economic implications of the UK Basing Review on communities around RAF Kinloss and Lossiemouth.
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Jul
20RAF campaign shifts focus
Roadside signs erected at the start of the battle to save RAF Lossiemouth were ceremonially dismantled yesterday to mark the campaign’s transition from ‘fight to fix’.
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Jul
18Moray welcomes RAF Lossiemouth decision
Moray Task Force, the Moray Economic Partnership and the local community have today (Mon 18 July) welcomed the news that RAF Lossiemouth is to be retained as an RAF base.
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Jul
18First Minister's view on the Defence Review announcement
First Minister Alex Salmond has welcomed the UK Government's announcement that RAF Lossiemouth is to be retained, with a new Army role for Leuchars.
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Jul
10RAF campaigners urge Cameron to do the right thing
Campaigners have warned the Prime Minister that reducing RAF bases in Scotland would be catastrophic for the UK’s defence capabilities and rip the heart from affected communities.
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Jul
09RAF Lossiemouth – An Irreplaceable Asset
A new report issued by The Moray Task Force illustrates why RAF Lossiemouth is the most capable military airbase in northern Europe.
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Jun
17Forres area Development Trust plans move forward
A steering group is making progress with plans to establish a community-led Development Trust for the Forres area.
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Jun
17Enterprise Minister to meet Moray Economic Partnership
Enterprise Minister Fergus Ewing will meet Moray business and community representatives on Monday who are working to safeguard the social and economic future of communities around RAF Kinloss and Lossiemouth. The Minister will state the overwhelming defence, social and economic case of retaining Scotland’s RAF bases ahead of the final UK Cabinet decision.
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Jun
16Scottish Government's submission regarding the RAF Bases
Further cuts to Scotland's military personnel or closures of RAF bases would not be justified on either economic or defence grounds, said the First Minister.
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Jun
03Meeting (and not meeting) politicians……
Task force members met with the Prime Minister David Cameron on 20 April.
He assured the people of Moray that their voices had been heard loud and clear in London.
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Jun
02Moray Task Force will fight to the finish for RAF communities
Moray Task Force members this week pledged to fight all the way to support campaigners battling to save RAF Lossiemouth, and to get a fair deal for the Forres community facing the closure of RAF Kinloss.
Meeting on Tuesday, the community, public and private sector representatives agreed unanimously that they would continue to pursue every avenue until an announcement is made – which according to UK Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox will be by July 19.
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Mar
29Expectations rising for Forum event of 30 March
Excitement and expectations are rising for an open meeting to be hosted by the Forres Area Forum on the evening of Wednesday 30 March.
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Mar
08New economic strategy for Moray
A major new strategy is to be developed for the economic future of Moray.
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Mar
04David Mundell MP has pledged to help beleaguered businesses in Moray in their attempts to secure commercial loans from banks.
Members of the Moray Task Force met with the Under Secretary of State for Scotland, David Mundell MP, in Elgin Thursday Mar 3 to press home the case for retaining the RAF in Moray.
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Feb
18Moray Work Club hits the mark in offering skilled advice
A centre set up to offer advice to people in Moray who face the loss of their jobs is already proving a popular hub of information as RAF Kinloss prepares for closure.
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Feb
10Uncertainty about the Future of Bases Continues
Moray task force again raised the impact of the ongoing uncertainty about the future of the RAF in Moray with the UK Government after Moray house price figures were released last week.
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Feb
04Moray task force highlights dependency on RAF as uncertainty about the future of the bases continues
Moray task force today criticised the ongoing uncertainty about the future of the RAF in Moray after the UK Government confirmed it would not announce the outcome of the Strategic Defence and Security Review before the Scottish Parliamentary elections.
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Jan
30Shock delay on RAF bases decision unacceptable says Moray community
Community and business representatives from Moray Task Force are refusing to accept a shock admission from Armed Forces Minister Nick Harvey that a decision on the future of Scottish RAF bases is unlikely before the Scottish May elections.
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Jan
27Businesses make plea to politicians who will decide fate of RAF in Moray
Hundreds of Moray businesses, employing thousands of local people, have signed an open letter to Prime Minister David Cameron calling on the Government to support the economy as it faces uncertainty over the future of the RAF.
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Jan
21Job and skills hub for Moray base
A work and skills centre aimed at helping those affected by redundancies at RAF Kinloss is to be set up at the base site by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) on behalf of the Moray task force.
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Jan
14Moray RAF campaign grows in strength as task force doubles membership
Moray task force today intensified the strength and commitment of its campaign to retain the RAF presence in Moray by doubling its membership.
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Jan
12Moray calls for international model to support its economy
Scotland’s public agencies are examining international solutions as they fight to deliver the best economic strategy to safeguard Moray from the effects of the Ministry of Defence RAF base review.
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Jan
12First Minister sets out case for defence in London
First Minister Alex Salmond today met Defence Secretary Liam Fox to set out the convincing case for Scotland to retain both RAF Leuchars and RAF Lossiemouth.
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Jan
10Visit by Jim Mather MSP, Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism
The Scottish Government Minister responsible for business growth will visit Moray on 10 January 2011 to hear at first hand from local businesses about some of the economic challenges facing the region.
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Dec
22Further support for Scots RAF bases
First Minister Alex Salmond today unveiled a new £300,000 initiative to create training and development opportunities for people facing potential redundancy in Moray as a result of the planned withdrawal of the RAF from Kinloss.
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Dec
10Raising VAT threshold would boost Moray economy
Hundreds of jobs could be created in Moray if the threshold at which small firms start to pay VAT was increased, said the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) this week.
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Dec
08Confidence remains fragile as Moray businesses look to 2011
Business confidence in Moray remains fragile despite a better than expected year, according to a survey of the region’s key businesses.
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Dec
06Scottish Government announces multimillion pound affordable homes scheme for Moray
The Scottish Government demonstrated its commitment to the future of Moray today when Housing and Communities Minister Alex Neil announced a multimillion pound affordable housing project in Forres.
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Dec
03Moray task force launches survey to gauge impact of defence cuts on local businesses
Moray task force today launched a survey to gauge how businesses throughout the region are being affected by the recent UK Government announcement on defence cuts and the knock-on effect on RAF bases in the area.
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Nov
25Moray task force discusses mitigation measures with Secretary of State for Scotland.
Members of the Moray Task Force are holding meetings in London today to discuss the threatened defence cuts to RAF bases in Moray with Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore and officials from the UK Treasury and Ministry of Defence.
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Nov
23Future for Kinloss
While the timescales remain uncertain it seems clear the RAF will withdraw from Kinloss, and after 70 years this represents a significant blow to the community, the businesses in the area and the personnel serving on the bases.
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Nov
23Tourism in Moray
Moray was in the news again this week as its stunning coastline was ranked amongst the best in the world by National Geographic Traveller magazine.
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Nov
18Moray task force calls for answers
The task force supporting the community campaign to keep the RAF in Moray says action must be taken now to counter the impact of threatened defence cuts on the area.
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Nov
17Local children deliver pleas for help to First Minister
Children from the Junior Committee of Archiestown Village Council have delivered a letter to Alex Salmond asking for help to save RAF bases in Moray.
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Nov
16Obama advisor supports business community find opportunities in changing North economy
Global entrepreneur Ken Morse will consider the challenges facing the Moray, and wider Highlands and Islands economy as part of a live web cast tomorrow (Tuesday) looking at how communities can create opportunities from change.
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Nov
10First Minister tells cabinet colleagues the battle has begun
Alex Salmond has described the mass demonstration in Moray at the weekend to save RAF Lossiemouth as “the best possible start” to the campaign.
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Nov
07Hollywood star backs Moray bases campaign
Scottish film star Ewan McGregor has added his voice to the growing campaign to keep the RAF in Moray.
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Nov
05Moray campaigners take 'compelling case' for RAF Lossiemouth to Westminster
Campaigners fighting to save thousands of RAF jobs in Scotland are taking their arguments to the top levels of UK Government.
Business and community leaders in the Moray Task Force have compiled what they're calling 'a compelling case' for retaining RAF Lossiemouth as a base for the present Tornado fleet and future Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.
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Nov
05Partnership action agreed to mitigate Moray economic blow
Public sector agencies from across Scotland will work in partnership to help mitigate the social and economic impact of jobs losses facing Moray and develop positive actions to help the region deal with the fall out from anticipated MoD job cuts.
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Nov
05Role of voluntary and community groups crucial in minimising MoD fallout
Community and voluntary groups from Moray and the wider area will have a crucial role to play in minimising the social and economic fall-out from the anticipated MoD job cuts.
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Nov
04Moray meeting to examine impact on essential services
Public sector leaders from organisations across Scotland will gather in Forres tomorrow (Friday) to agree a co-ordinated response to the threat hanging over thousands of jobs in Moray in the wake of the UK Government’s Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).
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Nov
03Call for public to join RAF base threat march
The public are being urged to turn out in force on Sunday for a march and rally calling for RAF Lossiemouth to be spared the axe in the government’s ongoing strategic defence review.
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Nov
01Moray Task Force calls for community insight to counter a 'commuter' Tornado presence in Scotland
The local task force gathering evidence for UK government politicians deciding the future of the RAF in Moray claims that fighter pilots could spend more than half their flying time 'commuting' to the prime low-level training areas in Scotland.
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Nov
01Convener 'disappointed' at PM's lack of response
Moray Council convener Councillor George McIntyre today said he was disappointed and deeply frustrated at a lack of response to - or acknowledgement of - a letter sent to the Prime Minister over the future of RAF Lossiemouth.
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Oct
28Moray Task Force build case for RAF Lossiemouth
The Moray Task Force will meet in Elgin tomorrow (Friday 29 October 2010) to discuss progress on a submission to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) outlining detailed defence, economic and social arguments for retaining RAF Lossiemouth.
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Oct
27First Minister has written to UK Defence Secretary regarding the RAF bases in Moray
First Minister Alex Salmond has written to Defence Secretary Liam Fox setting out the strongly held concerns regarding the RAF bases in Moray.
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Oct
27First Minister says fight for Moray bases is an issue of national importance
Community and business leaders from across Moray met with Scottish Government Ministers in Edinburgh today to discuss their priorities for the local economy.
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Oct
21Moray Task Force quizzes Secretary of State for Scotland over RAF base closures and calls for PM to face communities
The Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore met with members of the new Moray Task Force in Elgin today to hear of the concerns for the area’s future.
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Oct
20New task force will lead Moray fight to protect Kinloss economy and save Lossiemouth jobs
People in Moray are moving swiftly to tackle the impact of military cutbacks on the county and plan for future economic growth.
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Oct
19Moray community and business leaders join forces to secure economic future
Business and community leaders in Moray will continue to press the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to retain a strong presence in the county, following publication today of the UK Government's Strategic Defence and Security Review.
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