The “huge” rewards of the Tay Cities Deal may not be fully seen in Angus for generations but are vital for the region, the local authority’s leader said.
Councillor Iain Gaul has described the project as the most forward looking project the local authority has ever been involved in.
Angus councillors have formally approved the submission of the bid to the Scottish and UK Governments.
Mr Gaul said the plan would bring benefits to Angus for generations to come.
Speaking within the council chambers in Forfar he said: “We’ve got one shot at bringing in this amount of forward investment to Angus. The rewards are huge.
“I remember once in this chamber someone asked me ‘are you the type of person who plants a tree?’ The answer to that is ‘absolutely’.
“This is a plan we won’t see come to full fruition, at least I won’t, because this is something that could last for 50 years. It’s something that will grow and grow and grow.
“This is where we make a difference to future generations in Angus. This is not something that we can just pass up.
“This is something we need to grasp with both hands and drive it forward to the best of our ability.
“We are going to be held up by Governments, both Westminster and Holyrood, but that’s the nature of what we do.
“We need to keep going forward and be dynamic and sell Angus. We need to do that as a whole and deliver the best we can for Angus.”
The council’s chief executive Richard Stiff said it could take up to two years to negotiate the Cities Deal with the Scottish and UK Government.
He said: “We have until the first of March for submission. The next stage is negotiation and dialogue with the UK Government and Scottish Governments and it’s impossible to say how long that will take.
“On the experience of other areas, we would anticipate it certainly being over 12 months and potentially two years before it is finalised. That was the timescale for the Aberdeen deal.”
Submitting the bid document will not have any immediate financial implications for Angus Council.
At this early stage, a sum of £870,000 has been identified as being the probable contribution by the council to the deal though this will be reviewed over the next few months.
Montrose councillor David May said: “This is one of the most exciting things the council has come across.
“It has the potential to attract almost 15,000 jobs to the region and given the decline in jobs in the oil industry, I see real possibilities around this.
“There are great plans to attract and retain people in Angus, especially young people who often leave the area to find work. To be able to retain them in Angus will be of huge benefit.”
