Attempts to recruit staff hampered by housing shortfall
Efforts to attract new members of staff to the council in key sectors are being hampered by a shortfall in housing.
Members of the education and families and development committees were told an accommodation shortfall was holding back attempts to attracting new workers.
The education meeting heard there had been problems recruiting to certain secondary school subjects such as home economics and technical subjects.
Agency staff have also had to be taken on to fill gaps in posts relating to youth justice.
The issue was also highlighted in development.
• See Friday’s Shetland Times for full story.
Alistair Tulloch
In last weeks Shetland Times, there are 16 houses available for rent with Hjaltland Housing. There are many more private houses for rent or for sale. There are council houses empty in country districts.
Shetlands population is at best static, so where exactly is the shortage- I have never seen anyone sleeping rough in Shetland through lack of a suitable house??
Johan Adamson
It has been reported recently that young families are leaving Shetland and also that there are empty private lets, especially in the likes of Brae. So you would think there should be a lot of spare capacity in the private rental area. So how can accommodation be the problem when we were able to house all of the Total etc workers fairly recently and they have gone?
Christopher Johnston
Don’t confuse Councillors with inconvenient facts.
I suspect that Council has an unspoken, long term goal of concentrating population closer to Lerwick, where they can more easily and inexpensively manage it.
Mike Grant
I wonder if it’s because everyone wants to live in Lerwick or (if they must) Scalloway?
Shuard Manson
Could we not train Shetlanders who live here already to do these jobs. If they were given the opportunity.
Christopher Johnston
No, these jobs require experts. An expert is a well-dressed person who has flown in, is carrying a laptop, is wearing a pinky ring, and doesn’t understand Shetland dialect.😇
Haydn Gear
Christopher. Why did you omit to say someone who owns a few properties in sunny climes , drives expensive cars with personalised number plates , gets by on shares given by grateful customers , drinks with gusto at cocktail parties and speaks with an affected southern English whine derived from spending too long in public school circles? What’s more such types are ignorant of the fact that a Shetland dialect exists and would dismiss it as being irrelevant if told about it.
Christopher Johnston
@ Haydn Gear
Because I am not as experienced in these matters as you are.
Haydn Gear
But you more than make up for your deficiencies with an overblown sense of fun and humour. So, all’s well Christopher old chap !!