Council chief: City Deal ‘falls short’ of targets

Co-leader not entirely satisfied but says it is ‘significant step in right direction’

The £1 billion Edinburgh City Deal “falls short” of Fife Council targets to accelerate growth in the region.

Council co-leader David Ross said that while the deal is a “step in the right direction” for the kingdom, work will continue to finalise parts of the project.

The complex agreement was finally signed yesterday and will generate investment in the capital, Borders and Lothians, as well as the south of Fife.

While hailing the benefits that the agreement will have for Fife, Mr Ross said he was not entirely satisfied.

“Fife Council built its City Deal asks around innovation and inclusive growth,” he said.

“This deal is a step forward in creating more jobs in Fife, helping our residents access more employment opportunities, as well as increase housing availability, and unlock economic opportunity.

“The deal announced today falls short of what we were looking for to accelerate growth and ensure that the benefits of that growth are distributed more equally across the region, but it is a significant step in the right direction.

“We will continue to work hard to secure further investment and to ensure that this City Deal benefits communities and businesses across the kingdom.”

City deals are financial packages funded by Westminster and Holyrood to act as catalysts for private investment into urban and surrounding areas. Both the UK and Scottish governments are contributing £300 million to the scheme, with further funding generated by local government and private enterprise.

While the southern part of Fife is likely to benefit from the Edinburgh deal, the north of the county will receive a similar boost by the Tay Cities Deal, which remains in the pipeline.

Announcement of the Edinburgh deal was delayed by the general election.

Deals in Scotland have already been agreed in Glasgow, Inverness and Aberdeen.

Mr Ross said of the Tay region discussions: “Fife remains fully committed to participating in the Tay Cities Region Deal, and continues to play a key role in the development of this.”