MoD cuts fuel fears for future of Black Watch HQ

THE Black Watch’s base at Fort George is feared to be at risk of closure in the latest MoD spending cuts.

Scottish Veterans Minister Keith Brown has written to the UK Government demanding assurances over the site near Inverness.

It came under threat in 2011, but gained a reprieve.

However, there are concerns it could be in the firing line again after the MoD announced in March that ten sites across the UK will be closed as it seeks to reduce the size of its built estate by 30 per cent.

In his letter to Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, Mr Brown insisted he should have been kept informed about any plans for the base.

He wrote: ‘I was deeply disappointed to learn… that Fort George, home of the Black Watch, is at risk in the latest round of MoD reforms.

‘This base has been in continuous use as a garrison for almost 250 years, so any decision for the Army to vacate the site would have huge significance in Scotland.’

There are also concerns about the threat in the nearby village of Ardersier, where businesses are heavily reliant on spending from the troops and their families.

Local councillor Glynis Sinclair said: ‘If they pull the soldiers out it will be devastating for the local economy. I’m concerned for the village.

‘I would like to know where this is going. Are they, in effect, abandoning the North of Scotland?’

Major General Seymour Monro, director of the military tattoo held annually at the base, said that the latest fears had come ‘right out of the blue’.

He added: ‘It would be very sad to lose the military after hundreds of years at Fort George.’

‘Huge significance in Scotland’