‘Just hand the Tay deal cheque over’

DUNDEE City Council leader John Alexander has slammed the delays in the £350 million Tay Cities Deal.

Mr Alexander has written a letter, co-signed by the leaders of Angus, Perth and Kinross, and Fife councils, all asking for Chancellor Rishi Sunak to personally intervene to “hand the cheque over” for the investment.

Partners in the Tay Cities Region Deal rubber-stamped the £700m agreement during an event in Perth in November 2018.

It commits the UK and Scottish governments to investing a combined £300m in the region over the next 10-15 years, with a further £400m of investment from a range of partners expected to be secured over the next decade – creating more than 6,000 jobs.

However, no cash has been paid despite business cases being made for several projects, with fears they could now be in jeopardy.

Mr Alexander, pictured, said: “As leaders of the four local authorities involved in that, we’ve been very clear that there is a real need to get this deal signed, and to start progressing with the detailed business plans that we have for each of the projects within that.

“We’ve co-written – the leaders of Fife, Perth and Kinross, Angus and Dundee – a letter to the chancellor, asking for his personal intervention to make this a reality.”

He added: “If we can unlock some of that £350m of investment across this region then that will deliver results, it will deliver jobs.

“Time is of the essence, we want to see the Treasury move and give that commitment that they are going to sign on the dotted line and get this deal delivered.”

“Until we get any clarity from the Treasury, we’re all sitting here not knowing when – or if – the deal is going to be signed.”

A Treasury spokeswoman said: “The UK Government is committed to investing in all parts of the UK, and is providing £150m for the Tay Cities Deal to create jobs and enable growth in Dundee, Perth and the wider region, which is part of our investment of £1.4 billion in city and growth deals across Scotland.

“We are working hard with local partners and the Scottish Government to make the deal a success.”