The Ministry of Defence has refused to tell The Courier how much investment if any has been made at RAF Leuchars so far to prepare for the promised arrival of the army.
It is almost 20 months since former Defence Secretary Liam Fox announced the closure of Leuchars in its present form and that it would be used to house thousands of troops returning to the UK from deployment in Germany instead.
The MoD has confirmed that Typhoons from Leuchars are still due to be relocated to RAF Lossiemouth in Moray from the end of this year.
But following a Freedom of Information request by The Courier, the MoD has refused to provide the information which it holds on investment because to do so would “exceed the appropriate limit” in terms of time and cost.
The MoD has also refused to provide The Courier with information on how much money has been spent so far to prepare for the arrival of Leuchars jets at RAF Lossiemouth.
That compares with a year ago when The Courier asked the same questions and was told that no capital investment related to the transition had been made at either base.
The Courier revealed this week that ongoing uncertainty over the type and scale of any future military presence at RAF Leuchars and HMS Caledonia at Rosyth is causing a significant headache for Fife Council officials as they try to plan for future services.
Fife Council leader Councillor Alex Rowley has also admitted that the local authority is still “in the dark” about the future of the base.
This is causing the council concern, with RAF Leuchars contributing around £60 million annually to the Fife economy.
Despite saying that it remained committed to a “sizeable army presence” at Leuchars, and previously indicating that the first army units would arrive in 2015, the MoD has yet to announce detail of its ongoing basing review with some fearing that Leuchars could yet be left with a smaller military presence than the multi-role brigade outlined in summer 2011.
Some fear it could even yet be left with a “rusting chain on the gate”.
North East Fife MP Sir Menzies Campbell said yesterday:“The MoD’s failure to be transparent about the cost of preparations for an army presence at Leuchars can only add to anxiety.
“It will fuel concern that either there will be a substantial gap between the departure of the Royal Air Force and the arrival of any army units or indeed that there is no certainty of a substantial army presence at the base.
“Coupled with the impact on local issues like education which surfaced this week there is understandable concern about the general lack of information.”
North East Fife MSP Roderick Campbell said:“The Typhoons are not due to transfer to RAF Lossiemouth before the end of 2013.
“However, there is still a deafening silence from the Ministry of Defence regarding an announcement on the basing review, and the sooner this information is available the sooner preparations can be sensibly made.”