RAF Leuchars and its future will again be top of the agenda when parliamentary business minister Bruce Crawford meets Fife Council officials.
Mr Crawford is expected to visit Glenrothes on Friday to discuss the fate of the Fife airbase and the impact of the defence review at a private meeting with councillors and officers.
Meanwhile, First Minister Alex Salmond will visit Leuchars on the same day, where he will address locals in Henderson Hall from 3pm.
Fife Council, the local Chamber of Commerce, Scottish Enterprise, MSPs and MPs all participated in a similar meeting last month that took place in response to the threat hanging over 1800 jobs at Leuchars in the wake of the UK Government’s Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR).
With the campaign to oppose any closure of RAF Leuchars now well under way, Mr Crawford is expected to give councillors a briefing on progress so far.Important”Like Scotland’s other air bases, Leuchars is a hugely important facility not just in terms of its personnel and air fleets strategically based there, but also in its contribution to the local economy,” Mr Crawford argued.
“The Scottish Government believes the SDSR paints a very grim picture for Scotland, which is why we will continue to argue as strongly as possible for all of our air force bases to be retained.
“We campaigned vociferously to UK defence secretary Dr Liam Fox for the retention of bases at Kinloss and Lossiemouth and we will campaign just as vigorously for the retention of Leuchars, despite being assured that it was not originally in the firing line.
“Almost half of the local population are employed in some capacity as one of 1800 personnel at Leuchars, and it is clear closure would have serious implications for local families and businesses.”
Scottish ministers have stressed that parties should pull together in a unified campaign to ensure the base is kept open, while Fife Council has been working closely with the Scottish Government and Scottish Enterprise to prepare a wider assessment report detailing the economic implications of closing Leuchars.To show your support for RAF Leuchars, leave a comment below or click here.