Spinning the figures on City Deal

Dear Editor

I am responding to last week’s letter in the Observer (July 4, 2018) from Tory councillor Neil Benny on City Region Deal funding. Councillor Benny claims the UK and Scottish Governments have both put in £45.1 million into the Stirling and Clacks Deal. The agreement is publicly available and this simply isn’t true.

A total of £5 million of the UK Government’s offering is a “notional value” for MOD Forthside land.

This isn’t cash to spend, and the Observer has reported claims the UK Government once promised to hand this over at nil value.

The Tories are at it here I’m afraid, but this does bring the total cash investment from the UK (money that can actually be spent) down to £40.1 million - of which much is going to Stirling University.

In contrast, the Scottish Government is investing heavily in communities and the area’s economy. In addition to its £45.1 million offering, Keith Brown announced infrastructure funding for Callander and Kildean - bringing the total from the Scottish Government to £50.1 million. All in cash.

We have two Governments here. One wants to spin the figures and sell us a pup, the other wants to invest in communities and grow our economy.

Cameron Archibald Student of history, politics and economics, Cowie