The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Concern Tories will fall short on Tay Cities Deal
INVESTMENT: UK Government will struggle to meet 50-50 spend – claim
The Scottish Government is likely to put more money into the Tay Cities Deal than the UK administration, a Conservative minister has admitted.
Lord Duncan said spending restrictions mean London can fund fewer projects than Edinburgh.
The Alyth-born and raised Scotland Office minister conceded the UK Government would struggle to meet the 50-50 spend commitment with the Scottish Government.
He said: “We have outlined from the start the projects we can fund, but we are restricted to spending in areas over which we have responsibility, so that means, in reality, we can only spend money on around 30% of the projects, while the Scottish Government is able to support 70% of them. Under those circumstances, it is obviously going to be a challenge to match-fund the Scottish Government, but we are trying to be flexible about what we can fund.
“For example, we are working with city halls in Perth, so if indeed the Stone of Scone can be returned, then that becomes a national museum which blurs the lines of what can be funded.”
The investment package, thought to be worth up to £1 billion, has been delayed and the Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster said last month that governments are still “nowhere near” sign-off.
Lord Duncan, who said he had a “frank meeting” with councillors over the hold-up, put some of the blame on the Scottish Government by claiming SNP ministers have been reluctant to say which projects they plan to fund.
He said the project would deliver “extraordinary transformative change” but admitted to becoming “a bit frustrated” by the process.
He said: “At the moment, we only have themes, but no specifics, and that doesn’t help because we want the projects to fit together, but we can’t sign this deal unless we know what we are signing, but I hope that it will be signed within eight weeks.
“The Scottish Government are being guarded and provocative.”
Lord Duncan added: “I would very much like our officials to sit down with their officials to be sitting down to what the synergies are between the two sets of projects, and look at how we can deliver more than the sum of its parts.”
A spokesperson for Scottish Government minister Michael Matheson said: “The Tay Cities Deal is crucial to unlocking economic growth across the region and it is hugely concerning to learn that, once again, the UK Government are set to water down their commitments and fail to match the level of ambition we have for the area, and the SNP Government are absolutely committed to maximising the support available to develop local economies across Scotland – and it is disappointing that, as we have seen with other deals, the Tory Government seem unable to match our commitment.”
SNP MP Pete Wishart said: “If the UK Government fails to live up to its promises and fails to match the funding committed by the Scottish Government they’ll be absolutely pilloried by people across Tayside – and rightly so.
“Pulling the plug on vital investment to unlock jobs would be unforgivable, and it’s incumbent that they pay their fair share, matching the Scottish Government on a 50/50 basis or else people in Tayside will know exactly what the Tories think of them.”