Now time to focus on the Deal detail

The original Tay Cities Deal bid was a hefty, near 100page document that sought to transform Tayside’s economy.

By comparison, the heads of terms agreement signed yesterday is, at just 22 pages long, far more lightweight; reflecting how ambitions have been dampened since the bid was originally submitted.

Instead of the combined £826 million originally asked for, the Scottish and UK governments will only contribute £200 million and £150 million respectively.

And despite the years of work that have taken place to reach this stage in the bid process, much of the agreement appears hastily written.

A promised £50 million from the Scottish Government is entirely unaccounted for thus far while £27 million is earmarked for tourism initiatives – if they are deemed viable.

But if the Tay Cities Deal is not what was originally hoped for, the glass should still be considered half-full.

Any investment in the Tayside economy is welcome. But the signing of the agreement is merely, to borrow a phrase, the end of the beginning. The hard work starts now and there is no time for any dawdling.

Efforts must now be doubled to ensure projects included in the agreement are robust enough to get the financial assistance on offer and so provide the foundation for revitalising Tayside’s economy.