Mark Milne is one of those Aberdeen business owners who, at first glance, doesn’t seem connected to the oil and gas industry. But he is.
He’s owned the Spider’s Web pub for 36 years. It sits in the suburb of Dyce, on the north-west edge of the city. It’s close to a heliport and is the first stop for many workers touching down after weeks offshore.
That leaves him well qualified to notice what’s happening. To his own living and to his customers’ businesses and jobs.
“We’ve seen a dip in the oil and gas customers and that’s onshore and offshore. A lot of the oil offices that were here are not. There’s a horrible example just along the road of a great office building torn down this week,” he said.
“Those were all my customers. We do still get plenty of oil and gas people coming in but maybe not as many and, are they as confident to spend?”.
Mark says this is a worry for him, his staff, his neighbours. “I speak to the hairdresser up the road. There’s not the same people going through Dyce. It affects everybody.”
He says “100%” of his oil and gas customers believe the UK government is not doing enough for the industry, both through the windfall tax and “the green issues, not allowing redevelopments and what have you”.
“It’s a great industry with a great future. It creates wealth, it creates jobs. Well-paid jobs. And it seems like the government is happy to see these things go,” he said.