and DOUGLAS FRASER
The most authoritative regular analysis of Scotland's economy is almost certain to be axed following the decision of one of the country's leading economists to retire from his senior university role.
Professor Brian Ashcroft, 60, has stepped down after 10 years as director of the Fraser of Allander Institute at Strathclyde University. His departure signals an end to the institute's quarterly commentary, which has been established for 32 years as the most reliable monitor of the health of the Scottish economy.
The university announced yesterday that Mr Ashcroft, the husband of Wendy Alexander, leader-elect of Scottish Labour at Holyrood, has left his post from the start of this month and is to remain a part-time professor, mainly in teaching.
This is to have more time to look after the couple's 19-month old twins, Caitlin and Michael, support his wife's career, and so that he can work on personal writing and research projects. The couple married in 2003, and the Paisley North MSP was a visiting professor at the institute her husband ran.
Last night business figures called on Strathclyde University to continue the institute's work.
Jeremy Peat, former chief economist of Royal Bank of Scotland and now director of the David Hume Institute and the BBC's Scottish trustee, said: "It is very sad, at a time when there is so much to be debated on the Scottish economy, that the only customised forecasting work on Scotland looks like it is coming to an end."
Iain McMillan, director of the Confederation of British Industry in Scotland and an adviser to Strathclyde's business school, said: "If Brian's move to a part-time role was to put the future of Fraser of Allander's forecasts at risk, we would be disappointed and we would hope the institute would be able to find a way of ensuring that this very valuable resource to Scotland is able to continue."
The new director of the Fraser of Allander Institute is Professor Kim Swales, but there was a warning from the university that the changes mean there are "resource implications" for the unit's projects. It is believed that the Scottish Chambers of Commerce's quarterly business survey and Lloyds TSB Scotland's quarterly business monitor, which are both conducted by Fraser of Allander, are not affected by the current review.
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