Grangemouth Industrial Cluster - draft Just Transition plan: consultation

Grangemouth Future Industry Board

Delivery of the Grangemouth Industrial Just Transition Plan is supported by the Grangemouth Future Industry Board (GFIB). The Board has overall responsibility for helping design the plan, approving the final draft, delivering actions and reviewing progress.

Establishing GFIB was a commitment in the 2020 Programme for Government in recognition of the Scottish Government's continued commitment to the Grangemouth industrial cluster, both now and in our future net zero economy, and to provide a concentrated focus on Scotland's largest manufacturing cluster in support of its transition.

Between 2021 and 2023, GFIB was co-chaired by the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise. This iteration of the Board brought together key decision makers from across the public sector to co-ordinate initiatives in pursuit of a long-term sustainable economic success for Scotland's core manufacturing cluster. During this time GFIB funded a number of projects around Grangemouth, including an apprenticeship and climate skills education programme via Powering Futures, the net zero Nation Pilot Accelerator programme which aimed to help local businesses understand their carbon footprint and assists them to reduce this as well as securing £1m in pilot funding through UKG to develop the concept of a Regulatory Hub. In addition to these core GFIB activities Grangemouth has been recognised in the National Planning Framework 4 and also secured funding through the Falkirk City Deal and shortlisted as one of two Green Freeport projects in Scotland.

Building on this, in the autumn of 2023, and in response to the Economy and Fair Work Committee's enquiry into a Just Transition for Grangemouth, GFIB began a process of restructuring to expand its membership beyond the existing public sector. This restructuring process is now complete and includes representatives from industry, Trade Unions, academia, and the local community. The central remit of this reconstituted Board is to develop and support the delivery of the Grangemouth Just Transition Plan. To best coordinate these members, the Board was recently split into two tiers, outlined on the next page:

The Board's Industrial Just Transition Leadership Forum is chaired by the Cabinet Secretary for Energy and net zero, and comprises Scottish and UK Government Ministers, senior figures from industry and unions, the leader of Falkirk Council, community representation from the CEO of CVS Falkirk & District, the Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise, and the Chief Executive of Forth Valley College. This level of the Board meets quarterly and provides leadership, assurance, challenge and oversight to the GIFB Programme Board.

The Programme Board is jointly chaired by Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Government Officials and is the delivery function tasked with developing and delivering a range of interventions and activity aligned to the Just Transition Plan. The Programme Board is programme managed by Scottish Enterprise who will also provide a PMO function for GFIB. This PMO function will act as the conduit for all GFIB activities pulling on the collective resources across all the organisations to appraise, support and deliver the projects and interventions that will deliver a Just Transition for Grangemouth. On a quarterly basis the Programme Board will make recommendations to the leadership group for approval on what projects to support and also provide update on the projects already underway.

GFIB is moving into an exciting new delivery phase that will see the Board deliver projects affecting tangible and positive change in support of the Grangemouth industrial cluster as it transitions to net zero, as well as the surrounding community.