Diesel collars a best pal in Bertie the lamb ‘Don’t take eyes off the Brexit ball’
Councillor warns of economic impact on region
to determine what life after Brexit will look like.
Cllr Donaldson went on: “It’s utterly unclear how current negotiations between the UK government and the European Union will progress.
“Will it be deal, no deal, or perhaps a kind of fudge, with a number of mini deals covering just a few areas? If it is the latter, and the UK government claim that to be a success, it will be no success at all.
“What matters is that uncertainty is removed four years after the European referendum, when the overwhelming majority of people in Scotland voted to remain in Europe.”
The Strathearn councillor fears Brexit could have a negative impact on key industries in the region such as agriculture and tourism.
The SNP councillor said: “The danger of falling off the cliff edge on December 31 remains all too clear. It may be something that many are overlooking because of the pandemic.
“Yet, the risks are immense. For the council there is the question of funding from the European Social Fund, to tackle employment and unemployment, and for LEADER (a European funding programme) which has provided substantial support to local businesses.
“The impact, though, could be far wider than that, especially in areas such as agriculture and tourism.”
Cllr Donaldson is also worried about the impact Brexit could have on the financial services sector.
He added: “One area not to overlook, and I think many do, is financial services. Aviva is vital to the economy of Perth and Kinross. It’s just not huge in composite insurance, but also in savings and investment.
“Added to that it has a major presence in European markets. It’s crucial that Aviva has as much access as is possible to the European single market.”
Cllr Donaldson has called on PKC officers to bring forward “more substance” on Brexit in their economic recovery plans for the region in a future report. At last month’s meeting he told officers he expected there would be more answers by October on what the UK’s position will be.
He added: “What I want to see is that when we get an update on the Economic Recovery Plan in October, there is far more substance on Brexit.
“By then we ought to have a far clearer understanding of the risks involved.
“Indeed, there is a strong case for there being a specific paper on Brexit to identify what might happen.’’