EU funding figures far from correct

Dear Editor

In an article in the Observer (November 9, 2018), Stirling MSP Bruce Crawford claimed EU funding “supports infrastructure, education and jobs growth in the Forth Valley to the tune of almost £80 million a year”. The actual figure, per year, is £31.6 million. That is less than half of what he claims.

Mr Crawford or his office have taken EU funding which covers multiple years, added that up, and claimed that the multi-year total is what the Forth Valley receives in a single year. The funding (actually, our money) relates to 13 years housing.

With the diluting of this condition the only safeguard we can hope for is in the obligations set out by the minister which have been the subject of negotiation between Stirling Council and the developer for over a year, conclusion of which is necessary before final consent is issued.

This would include an agreement of some form preventing any future housing development on the wider site, but we have had one of those before and look where we are now.

Frances Fielding By email

between 2009-2022.

I have checked and re-checked the data and figures in detail, and would be happy to provide Mr Crawford’s office with the spreadsheet showing the correct figures.

Mr Crawford’s claim seems to indicate an ignorance of how EU funding works – except in the case of agricultural and rural payments to farmers and small Erasmus+ payments, funding usually covers multiple years.

Mr Crawford should retract this claim.

Alison Macdonald Scots For Leave