Arbroath has taken its plea for £20 million of promised funding directly to Westminster on the eve of new Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ first Budget.
In April, former Tory Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the transformational windfall when he included Arbroath in the Long-Term Plan for Towns programme.
But the Labour government’s fiscal warnings have raised fears levelling-up monies are at risk in Wednesday’s announcement.
Sir Keir Starmer has already been invited to Arbroath to see how the money could turn the town’s fortunes around.
But in September, Scottish Secretary Ian Murray warned millions of pounds for Tayside projects was “under review”.
He said several promises “didn’t have any cash attached to it”.
Plan document Arbroath town board milestone
Arbroath and Broughty Ferry SNP MP Stephen Gethins and Arbroath Town Board chairman Peter Stirling have now taken the 10-year blueprint to London to press the case for the promised funding to stay.
When the funding announcement was made, the town board was tasked with delivering as 10-year plan by November.
The Arbroath proposal is the outcome of local consultation on how the money could be used.
The town board figures have also secured a meeting with Communities Minister Alex Norris on November 4 to discuss the plans.
Mr Gethins said: “These plans for Arbroath are incredibly exciting and could lead to some important investments in the town.
“It has been fantastic to see the way in which the town really got behind these proposals by the board and engaged with the consultation process.
“Peter’s leadership has been important and we have a fantastic board bringing in a wide range of colleagues from Arbroath. But it has been the wider community engagement that has made a huge difference.
“We have made the case for investment, as has been promised by the UK Government, and we will continue to make the case until that commitment has been delivered.
“Everyone is pulling together and we’ll do it when we meet the Minister next week too.”
Next generation’s support for Our Arbroath
Mr Stirling hailed the local community’s “amazing” response to the programme.
“Over 800 people took the time to write down their thoughts and ideas of how to transform and improve Arbroath,” he said.
“I was especially pleased with our engagement with the town’s secondary schools resulting in over 350 pupils writing to us with their hopes and ambitions for Arbroath.
“The public feedback has been the largest response to a new Arbroath town plan in decades.
“Our long-term town plan is a faithful representation of what the people of Arbroath want and hope for.
“I’d like to thank Stephen for all his support and taking the initiative and inviting me to Westminster to press the case and submit our document to the UK Government.
“I’d also thank my board who have worked incredibly hard to achieve what we have done in such a short space of time and of course the people of Arbroath who have shown their passion and desire to fix the town’s problems and see it thrive again.”
Conversation