£150,000 council pledge for rural growth project

Argyll and Bute Council has agreed to set aside £150,000 towards developing business cases for its £50 million rural growth deal.

With the money secured from the UK and Scottish Governments, the next step will be to agree ‘heads of terms’ with both, said the council. This will set out the ways in which the funding will be used for Argyll and Bute. After that, the council and its partners will have to prepare business cases – setting out the detail of each project for investment. The funding will only become available for use once those business cases are agreed with both governments. Reaching this stage is expected to take up to a year-and-a-half, with projects being delivered over a 10- to 15-year period, said the council.

There are concerns about the decline in Argyll and Bute’s population figures, how important roles will be filled and how the area will grow in future. Its forecasts estimate that by 2027, Argyll will need 10,000 more people to boost business development activity and deliver services for Argyll and the West Coast of Scotland.

Its policy and resources committee agreed to £150,000 from the council’s inward investment fund being used to support the development of project business cases and other requirements, such as impact assessments.

Councillor Robin Currie, leader of Argyll and Bute Council, said: ‘The rural growth deal is about putting investment where it will best support the growth of Argyll and Bute’s economy to benefit the people who live and work here as well as national economic recovery. The complexity of putting this level of funding to work for Argyll and Bute is huge. The decision will help ensure we have sufficient resources in place to turn rural growth deal investment into the longterm action our economy needs.’