Fife Council leader David Ross has vowed to continue pressing the Scottish Government for the funding needed for the Economic Recovery Plan produced to address the impact of the closure of Longannet power station.
The pledge follows a motion agreed at last week’s council meeting calling for the Scottish Government to fund the £9 million plan, and a suggestion by Dunfermline and West Fife MP Douglas Chapman that Fife House should not dictate plans for the area.
Mr Ross said the plan includes measures to support the workforce and supply chain, to support business and site development in the area to help replace the jobs lost through the closure, transport improvements and community regeneration proposals.
“The Economic Recovery Plan was broadly supported by everyone on the Longannet task force,” Mr Ross added.
“It was only when it came to funding the plan that things broke down.
“The minister, Fergus Ewing MSP, refused to make any commitment to additional funding for the plan.
“This failure to make any additional funds available was confirmed when council officers subsequently met with civil servants from the Scottish Government.
“Unlike the Tullis Russell task force which received £6m additional funding and the task force set up in the wake of the closure of Hall’s of Broxburn that had £12m in additional funding made available, the minister seems to believe that the Longannet action plan can be fully funded through existing resources.
“I have made it clear to the minister that Fife will continue to work constructively with all national and local bodies to address the impact of the closure of Longannet but this lack of commitment to additional funding by the Scottish Government will seriously undermine our collective efforts to address the short and longer term impacts of the closure.”
Commenting on remarks made by Mr Chapman in yesterday’s Courier criticising the council on Longannet, Mr Ross continued: “I agree with Douglas that communities must be fully involved in the future of Longannet and their local area.
“That’s why I chaired a meeting of community councils and other community groups from across West Fife and Clackmannanshire at the end of February to discuss the action plan with them and to get their ideas about how we can work together to regenerate their communities in the wake of the closure.
“It’s a shame Douglas wasn’t there or he would have heard first hand the many positive and constructive ideas put forward.
“I’m surprised that Douglas is now questioning what is in the plan since he was at the last meeting of the task force and raised no objections to it there.
“I am also surprised that he now seems to think there is no need for additional funding to implement the plan.
“He mentions the Vacant and Derelict Land fund, but there are severe restrictions imposed by the Scottish Government which limits how this can be used.
“He refers to the City Region Deal that Fife Council has been a leading partner in developing, but that’s still a long way off and is targeted across the whole of south-east Scotland.”