The Scottish Government will complete a Tay Cities Deal “come what may”, it’s been confirmed.
Scottish economy secretary Keith Brown revealed on Wednesday during a visit to Dundee that the government is committed to signing off on the deal.
Mr Brown said while “there is no magic money tree”, the Scottish Government will carefully consider all proposals submitted as part of the Tay Cities Deal.
The economic secretary added that while other City Deals may be more advanced in preparation than Tayside’s own, “it is not written in stone” that a Tay Cities Deal will not be completed before those of other regions.
Mr Brown said: “The Scottish Government will do a Tay Cities Deal come what may. It’s going to happen.
“We hope the UK Government will do that as well.
“We can’t support everything, it has to be a realistic level of expenditure. We don’t have, as someone once said, a magic money tree, so we do have to attach a priority to what we have to do.
“Stirling and Clackmannanshire is next in the queue, they were further advanced, but while it’s not written in stone, it may be that Tay Cities come ahead of that.
“We have to say this is the global amount and these are the things we will support.”
Mr Brown was present as Dundee University submitted its own Tay Cities Deal proposals for consideration.
The university wants to bid for cash to help it reaffirm and enhance its reputation as a leading medical research facility.
It’s hoped the finance will enable the university to create strong local partnerships in the world of medical research and health.
According to the university’s submitted proposals: “The project will deliver wealth and job creation for the region by nurturing the best innovation from the Dundee biomedical research and drug discovery powerhouse, exploiting the unique environment for medical technologies development at the interface with the NHS, and match this with significant growth in new skills pathways.”
Abertay University, NHS Tayside and Dundee and Angus College will all work with the university should the plans go ahead.
Commenting on the university’s plans, Mr Brown said: “It’s very impressive.
“And what they do, which is unusual in City bid deals that I’ve seen, is to draw together different areas of excellence.
“A lot of thought has gone into this. And what you can tell they’ve done is to make sure they make the best of what they do. I think that’s the most impressive aspect about what they’ve put forward.
“These City Deals have to be able to transform people’s lives, it changes that dynamic.”
