To support our work engaging Grangemouth communities with the Grangemouth Just Transition Draft Plan Consultation, on Thursday 5 December 2024, we welcomed Dr Alasdair Allan MSP, Acting Minister for Climate Action, to our Grangemouth Hub to discuss the progress of the consultation and hear from key local stakeholders about their hopes and ambitions for a Just Transition for Grangemouth.

Reflecting on bringing together both sides of the consultation – community and government – our CVS Falkirk & District CEO Victoria McRae reflected,

“It was a pleasure to invite community and third-sector representatives along for a dialogue with the Minister. Our focus within this project remains the importance of community engagement and participation, so we were thankful to have the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions around the Just Transition, and Grangemouth more broadly.”

During this meeting, we shared with Dr Allan MSP how our experience and expertise in community engagement has amplified and guided our approach to distributing the consultation amongst the Grangemouth communities: from creating new materials and graphics to increase understanding and proactively creating opportunities for accessibility through the Hub, to digitising the consultation in order to

ensure community members have as many routes to engagement as possible.

The goal of the consultation is to ensure Grangemouth has ownership over how their town develops in the future, therefore, community voice is central to these discussions and certainly, opportunities to realise community aspirations and to co-create a sustainable legacy for Grangemouth’s future were key themes within the discussions of the day, as the group discussed the importance of accessibility and purpose when fostering community participation. FEL Scotland’s Executive Director, Clara Walker, illustrated this further:

“The language that we use with people is important; what just transition means to policymakers and decision-makers doesn’t necessarily translate, we are all engaging at a different level – and that’s the role CVS has, to become that bridge. It is important that if people give their time, comments, and feelings to you, they know that something is going to happen.”

Looking to the future, the group discussed the idea of skills development and the importance of supporting the transition at a community level when it comes to making use of what exists, what can be upskilled, and what is transferrable – but ultimately, how we ensure that the people that live in the town of Grangemouth benefit from that.

Having taken time to consider these discussions and view the visual representations breaking down the various elements of the Grangemouth Just Transition Plan, Acting Minister for Climate Action Alasdair Allan said:

“Grangemouth has long played a vital role as Scotland’s leading industrial cluster and it is right that the area continues to help lead the way in our journey to net zero by 2045.

Our first regional Just Transition plan sets out our approach to support the growth of a decarbonised economy that puts local communities at its heart. It makes clear our vision for the future and gives specific actions across a number of areas to help achieve a just transition for Grangemouth.

The plan complements our ongoing activity focused around Grangemouth, including our support package in response to the proposed closure of the refinery and the work we are doing to explore low carbon transition opportunities for the refinery workforce. We are working hard to secure a sustainable, long-term future for the wider industrial cluster and its skilled workforce, and this plan will be vital in helping us to deliver this.

The consultation is an opportunity to help shape the development of the plan, and Grangemouth’s future. I encourage all who have a vested interest to participate.”

For more information about the Grangemouth Just Transition, please visit our Grangemouth Focus page.