Scotland’s finance secretary has agreed to meet council, police and health board bosses to discuss plans to offer incentives to lure more teachers, nurses and police officers to north-east.
The public sector bodies are struggling to recruit staff because of the high cost of living in the region and the larger salaries on offer in the oil and gas industry.
NHS Grampian and Aberdeen City Council have publicly said they want to see the introduction of a “weighting” allowance, similar to that in place in London, to help attract more workers.
John Swinney has now confirmed in a letter to local authority chief executive Valerie Watts that he would be “happy” to meet representatives from the various organisations.
Council finance convener Willie Young last night hailed the move as a “positive step”.
He said: “Hopefully John Swinney and the Scottish Government recognise the unique problems that Aberdeen has because it is a buoyant city.
“The council is investing in social housing, building 2,000 new homes, but we need some help because we have the same problems that London has.
“This is not just about the council, we need a solution that will also help the NHS and police as well.”
Members of the city council’s finance, policy and resources committee were told earlier this month that the weighting plan could cost about £21million to implement.
Opposition SNP members said the money could be better spent by providing more affordable housing.
Soaring house prices and high private rents are cited as factors in dissuading many young people from coming to the area.
Concerns have also been raised that the move might set a precedent for other cities with a high cost of living, such as Edinburgh, to lobby the government for assistance.
The Labour-led administration in Aberdeen wants to push ahead with the geographical weighting scheme, but is seeking Scottish Government support.
In London, the NHS pays a “high cost area” allowance of 20% of salary for inner London and 15% for outer London.
Payments issued by other public bodies range from £2,000-£4,000.
Last night, a Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Mr Swinney has agreed to meet with Aberdeen City Council, Police Scotland and NHS Grampian to discuss this matter.
“Scottish Government pay policy and pay arrangements for other public sector bodies already includes flexibility to address recruitment and labour market issues.
“The opportunity is available to NHS Grampian and other public sector bodies to consider those flexibilities, which are already inherent in our pay policy.”