An urgent meeting is being sought by council chief executives to clarify what the UK Government’s policy is on the future of city region deals in Scotland.
Fife Council chief executive Steve Grimmond revealed that following the UK elections, there is uncertainty about further city deals in Scotland and Fife is taking an active lead to seek clarity.
Millions of pounds of investment could be unlocked for Fife and vital infrastructure improvements could be made possible if a City Region Deal succeeds, according to Fife Council leader David Ross, who said he is “delighted” that plans for a £1 billion City Deal involving Fife Council and five other local authorities are moving forward.
Councillors at Fife Council’s executive committee meeting agreed a £275,000 investment that will help produce a detailed business case to take the ambitious plans to the next level.
The council is working with Edinburgh City, Borders, Mid, East and West Lothian councils, which will also contribute on a pro-rata, shared basis to the business case.
The local authorities which make up the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region (ESESCR) have agreed to deliver a deal with the Scottish and UK Governments designed to grow the local, national and UK economies.
At the heart of the proposition lies a £1 billion infrastructure fund, with priority areas for investment likely to include transport, housing, economic regeneration, energy and digital connectivity.
It is estimated an additional £3.2bn of private sector investment could be leveraged, generating tens of thousands of new jobs and providing a sustainable 5% uplift to the local economy.
The deal will be targeted at maximising the opportunities afforded by the region’s world-class research base and would look to exploit the wide range of technologies being pioneered across the city region. Any investment would be supported by a complementary package of skills and innovation measures, such as business-led training academies in key growth sectors.
Mr Ross, said: “This is an important step towards securing the city deal. Fife is delighted to be working with the five other local authorities to progress plans.
“Being part of a City Region Deal could unlock millions of pounds of investment for Fife and lead to vital infrastructure improvements. It also gives us the chance to further enhance the local economy and tackle inequality and is one of a number of ways we’d like to realise our aspiration of helping make Fife the best place to do business.”