Shooting Stars - The Growth of Inverness

How did one group of consultants in 2003/2004 try to account for the growth of Inverness?

The consultants' report began,

The City of Inverness and its hinterland have emerged as shooting stars in the twin firmaments of the Scottish economy and Scottish society. The media certainly know this: it seems that everywhere you look there is press coverage of Inverness. Since it became a millennium city on 19 March 2001 there has been even more interest in ‘The Capital of the Highlands’, at home and abroad.

There is solid achievement behind this. Economic growth has substantially outdistanced the UK as a whole, and the improved prosperity is palpable in the streets of the town. After some rocky times a decade ago, the local economy now seems to be operating close to full employment.

And, in contrast to large swathes of Scotland where population is declining, Inverness has attracted more and more people to swell its population numbers. House-building activity on estates and individual plots across the city and in the surrounding commuter belt bear witness to this, and Census results have provided statistical proof.

Exactly how much growth has there been? What is behind it? How has new wealth been created and what has given rise to new jobs? Why are people moving into the city? Looking to the future, what will Inverness need to create and support further sustainable expansion?

The consultants' report continued,

To test out ideas on the reasons for growth, we interviewed twenty people who have been influential in the growth of the city (‘Shakers’) in both the public and private sectors. The Shakers were contacted by e-mail and were interviewed by telephone in August 2003. ...section reports their replies, rather than evaluates the proposed arguments.

We surveyed people who have backed the growth of the city through their own major life decisions: the ‘movers’ who have recently set up house. As primary research we surveyed new housing areas in an ‘ask the-people’ approach. Very high response rates give a reliable and detailed indication of the motivations people have for moving to Inverness and document the (largely favourable) views they hold about their city.

The movers survey was conducted by post with a ‘Freepost’ return address. Of the 200 postal surveys sent out to residents of recent housing developments on 19th August 2002, a total of 49 were returned completed by 5th September 2002. This represents an almost 25 per cent return rate, significantly more than the 5-15 per cent normally recorded in non-incentivised household surveys.

A third of the movers were people who had moved from somewhere else in
Inverness. Of the remaining 33 households that had moved into Inverness
from outside, a majority were from the Highlands or Islands. However the city was a significant attractor from further afield:

• 55 per cent came from elsewhere in the Highlands and Islands
• 30 per cent came from elsewhere in Scotland
• 12 per cent came from elsewhere in the UK
• 3 per cent came from overseas

The movers were, not surprisingly, different from the population of the area as a whole: they were more professional, and much more likely to work in the public sector:

The consultants concluded,

This study has demonstrated that a combination of factors have contributed to
the growth of Inverness. In isolation, none would have been sufficient.

Third (among these factors) has been a self-conscious management process of the city-region’s growth. This has required an acceptance by people we have called ‘shakers’ in institutions – including local government, the enterprise network and other quangos, the constellation of (small r) regional politicians and officials - and by local business people with both private and altruistic motives that enough development will not happen without rational thought and energy and ingenuity being devoted to it, and without, when necessary, committing significant resources.

Read the full consultant's report at:

http://www.hie.co.uk/the-growth-of-inverness.pdf

(This report was commissioned by the regional development agency, Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), and the local enterprise company, Inverness and Nairn Enterprise (INE). The contractor was cogentsi, Cogent Strategies International Ltd, a company that specialises in the processes of growth and in particular their relation to industry. March 2004.)