Top civil servant hails jobs windfall for town
Sir Philip congratulates town on 75th anniversary
A former British High Commissioner visited the East Kilbride joint base of the UK’s aid effort recently – as the new town celebrates its 75th anniversary.
New town status was officially granted to EK in May 1947 and local politicians and TV and film stars, such as Lorraine Kelly and John Hannah who grew up here, have shared their memories.
And last week Permanent Under-Secretary for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Sir Philip Barton, was in the town to meet staff at Abercrombie House.
The work of civil servants at Abercrombie House has had an impact across the globe since the then Overseas Development Administration (ODA) building first opened in 1981.
It was built as part of an expansion of the ODA, which was part of the Foreign Office, and went on to become the Department for International Development’s joint HQ before a merger last year created the FCDO.
And among the first 350 recruited was none other than football legend Ally McCoist, who spent several months there as a clerical assistant before his football career took off.
He previously told the News: “It was a massive boost for East Kilbride that building opening. I still remember my first day, getting off the No77 bus from Calderwood, and walking into this amazing new place as a civil servant.
“My mum and dad clearly knew what I wanted to do with my life, but they’d made sure I’d kept up with my schoolwork and were proud as punch I’d got the ODA job.”
The building was officially opened by then Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington and now houses almost 1000 employees as the FCDO joint HQ.
It has played a pivotal role in the development of East Kilbride over the last 40 years and further jobs are set to be redeployed from
London to the town, securing its place in EK’s future.
Sir Philip said: “I would like to congratulate East Kilbride on its 75th anniversary and am proud that the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office’s joint HQ, Abercrombie House, is an integral part of the rich fabric of the town.
“Our staff in East Kilbride play an essential role in shaping UK foreign and development policy
around the world, as shown by the UK Government’s steadfast support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.
“Abercrombie House recently celebrated its 40th anniversary and our commitment to the town’s bright future is highlighted by our decision to redeploy a further 500 jobs from London to East Kilbride by 2025, as part of the UK Government’s levelling up agenda.”