Shetland Enterprise, on behalf of the economic development agencies in Shetland, is setting up a special team on Unst to help the community tackle the economic impact of the scaling down of Saxa Vord RAF base on the island.

Unst and the North Isles face severe economic challenges following the announcement by the Ministry of Defence that staffing at the base, the main employer in the islands, will be cut to an absolute minimum, with the reduction of 72 RAF posts, 32 civilian staff and 11 contractors.

Formed for a three year period, the Unst Response Team (URT) will comprise two full-time staff and a part-time administrator.

Ann Black, chief executive of Shetland Enterprise, said: "We believe that a dedicated team, based in Unst, is necessary to effectively address the challenges faced by the community.

"Working with our partner organisations, the team will seek to address the issues arising from the MoD announcement and take forward a strategy and actions to mitigate the impact of the job reductions."

The team will report directly to Dr Black and will also report quarterly to a sub-group of the Community Planning Board which has been specifically set up to co-ordinate and oversee efforts to minimise the impact of the job losses.

The proposed response team is subject to endorsement by the Community Planning Board on September 5.