Fife’s economy would suffer a blow to the tune of £60 million if RAF Leuchars was axed as part of government spending cuts, and the closure would put up to 1900 jobs at risk.
That was Fife Council’s calculation after the RAF released information about the number of jobs the base supports.
The importance of RAF Leuchars to local communities was highlighted on Thursday when a council delegation met First Minister Alex Salmond seeking endorsement of a document outlining the economic argument for retaining the base.
Members of the Leuchars community, Fife Chamber of Commerce, Dundee City Council, Scottish Enterprise, MP Sir Menzies Campbell and Iain Smith MSP had already given the submission their support.
It is set to be sent by courier to defence secretary Liam Fox on Friday morning.
Sir Menzies and Mr Smith, who have been at the forefront of the campaign to save RAF Leuchars and had initially called for this document to be compiled, said, “This is an important document which we are delighted to endorse.
“It clearly sets out the contribution that RAF Leuchars makes to the economy of Fife and the surrounding areas.
“It demonstrates that the case for the retention of RAF Leuchars is not restricted to the defence case alone. The socio-economic case gets more compelling by the page.”
Having had just a few days to put together a report from the figures, which the council received last Friday, June 21, strategic policy and tourism team leader Sandra Montador-Stewart briefed the environment, enterprise and transportation committee on Thursday morning.’Waste of £45m’RAF Leuchars employs 990 military and 270 civilian personnel and indirectly supports hundreds more jobs.
Ms Montador-Stewart said 1900 jobs were directly or indirectly supported by RAF Leuchars.
“That would contribute to a total of almost £60 million to the Fife economy,” she said.
After the council submitted a request for information about personnel at RAF Leuchars, the RAF responded under English freedom of information legislation.
Committee chairman Councillor Tony Martin thanked Ms Montador-Stewart for preparing the report in such a short period of time.
Councillor Mike Rumney said, “If Leuchars was to go, over the last four-year period we are looking at a waste of £45 million of capital expenditure at that base.”
The importance of RAF Leuchars in defending UK airspace was also highlighted by Mr Rumney.
The cross-party delegation met Mr Salmond at the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh on Thursday to present the economic and defence case for the retention of RAF Leuchars as a key strategic defence base.
Councillor Elizabeth Riches, depute leader of Fife Council’s administration, said that RAF Leuchars is a “vital component” of the UK’s future homeland defence network.
“Its strategic position proves the argument that the current defence strategy is the right one,” she said.
“The economic and community benefits cannot be understated in Fife and throughout the rest of Scotland, the impact that RAF Leuchars has on businesses is significant.”
Mr Salmond said, “The UK Government’s strategic defence review has far-reaching consequences for the communities of Fife and Moray, socially and economically.
“Scottish Government ministers stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Fife and Moray as they campaign to protect local jobs, infrastructure and investment in the face of unprecedented cuts from Westminster.
“We urgently need clarity from the MoD on the future of these important RAF bases and I will press this point when I meet UK ministers in London next week.
“The Scottish Government continues to work closely with Fife Council and community representatives in their campaign to save RAF Leuchars. We support their submission to the defence secretary which outlines the solid economic and defence argument for retaining the base.”
Ian McMahon, head of aerospace, defence and marine for Scottish Enterprise, said, “Scotland plays a strong role in the defence of the UK, both from an industrial standpoint and as a strategic location for front-line defence through the basing of UK armed forces.
“Both activities have a significant and long-established impact on the economy.
“Defence-related manufacturing employs nearly 12,600 people in Scotland. But there is also a significant economic contribution from armed forces basing.
“In the case of the RAF, and as a consequence of the impending loss of Kinloss as an RAF base, RAF Leuchars is now one of only two flying stations left in Scotland out of the 22 RAF flying stations in the UK.
“A decision to close the base would have a severe economic impact locally something that would be difficult, if not impossible, to replace in terms of either its scale or quality in the foreseeable future.”
Meanwhile, the MoD said that Thursday’s visit to threatened RAF bases in Moray by Britain’s armed forces minister should not be seen as a snub to those campaigning for the retention of Leuchars.
Nick Harvey spent the day meeting campaigners at Lossiemouth and Kinloss.
His itinerary, however, did not include a visit to the Fife base.’Ongoing dialogue’That omission caused disquiet among some in Fife, although the MoD was quick to quash any talk of a snub.
“It is important to point out that the armed forces minister has already met with MPs representing Leuchars and the surrounding area,” a spokesman told The Courier.
“Those talks were really all about the same things he was discussing in Moray.
“Nobody should be at all concerned about the extent to which he wants to engage with people in Leuchars.
“He is very interested and willing to listen to their concerns and suggestions.”
The spokesman pointed out that Scottish secretary Michael Moore had visited Leuchars to meet both RAF officials and campaigners earlier this week.
He said, “This whole issue does not centre around just one MP or one minister.
“We certainly do want to understand the concerns of people in Leuchars and the surrounding area.
“To that end there is an ongoing dialogue between the Ministry of Defence and local MPs.”
Mr Harvey’s visit to Kinloss and Lossiemouth came after business and community leaders joined forces to set up the Moray Task Force.
The group is campaigning against the closure of the two bases, saying it would be “devastating” for the local economy.