Perth MP Pete Wishart is urging Angela Rayner to end the uncertainty over £5 million in UK Government funding awarded to the city by her predecessors.
The Levelling Up money was made available by the Conservatives at Westminster in their last spring budget.
It has to be spent on city centre projects that will aid regeneration through culture.
And Perth and Kinross Council successfully made the case for three schemes in time for the tight June deadline.
They are the refurbishment of the Lower City Mills; a new exhibition and workspace opposite Perth Museum; and a new food and drink showcase on the High Street.
Labour has yet to say whether the £5m is still on the table following its landslide general election victory.
But it has said it is dumping Levelling Up – a Boris Johnson battle cry – as a concept.
And now Perth city leaders are demanding to know what the change of UK Government means for their funding.
UK Government funding could ease Perth city centre ‘struggle’
The Perth bid was supposed to have been signed off by the Tory-led Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
It has now been re-branded the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. And it is headed by Labour’s deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner.
Mr Wishart, SNP MP for Perth and Kinross-shire, has written asking her to clarify the new UK Government’s position on the funding.
He writes: “The £5m award is funding that was formally committed, and has now been allocated to projects that will play a significant part in the rejuvenation of Perth’s city centre, which, like many others, has struggled in recent years.”
Mr Wishart told The Courier: “The funding must be honoured, regardless of the new Labour government’s departmental rebrand.
“I have therefore written to the Secretary of State for Local Government seeking confirmation that Perth and Kinross Council will indeed still receive this funding, and will do so in a timely manner.”
Money comes with string attached
Perth and Kinross Council leader Grant Laing said he and colleagues had yet to hear from the UK Government.
He previously said: “Our officers did really well to come up with the three projects in that timescale.
“It would be crazy for all that hard work to go to waste.”
The Perth Levelling Up offer came with strict criteria.
The council could only spend the money on cultural projects that would bring about city centre regeneration.
It also had to demonstrate that it could deliver all three projects by March 2026.
Officers and councillors agreed on three proposals:
They say £3m could be used to restore Perth’s Lower City Mills as a tourist attraction. It follows a previous attempt to re-open the A-listed mill, which collapsed when the scheme missed out on Heritage Lottery funding.
Another £1.5m could be spent on converting a long-vacant former foundry next to Perth Museum into “The Ironworks” – an exhibition and work space for local makers.
And £500,000 would allow the council to turn the VisitScotland tourist information centre on Perth High Street into a shopfront for Perthshire food and drink providers.
The Courier has been told discussions are currently taking place at Westminster.
And it’s hoped a clearer picture on future regional spending will emerge in the weeks ahead.
Conversation