Resistance to remote working

COUNCILLORS in Shetland have urged officers to work harder dispersing more local authority jobs from Lerwick to rural areas.

Outgoing North Isles member Laura Baisley said it required the “supreme will of political power” to overcome prejudices and the resilience from middle management towards remote working.

During the final meeting of Shetland Islands Council prior to the election in May, she echoed sentiments from Shetland Central member David Sandison who had questioned why it is taking so long to make progress on an issue “vital for the rural economy of Shetland”.

Mrs Baisley also proposed celebrating a “remote worker champion” to raise the profile of council workers not travelling daily to a Lerwick office or workshop.

The comments came in response to a report from chief executive Alistair Buchan on the council’s progress in implementing its improvement programme, following the damning report by the Accounts Commission in 2010.

Mr Buchan said that the challenges faced by the council had been greater than initially thought, particularly in the areas of financial planning and governance restructuring.

Presenting his draft improvement plan for the next five years, Mr Buchan said: “The council is also clear that while we have achieved a very considerable amount in a short space of time, there is still some way to go, and that improvement activity must be continued into the new council.”