Tayside and Fife councillors have aired their frustrations at the lack of progress for the final sign off of the Tay Cities Deal.
The project is set to bring £700 million of investment to the region when it is finally signed off.
The initial terms were agreed in November 2018, when funding was committed for major projects such as a third bridge across the Tay north of Perth and developments at the James Hutton Institute, St Andrews University and in Dundee.
But the final sign off has been in limbo since the UK general election in December caused delays.
The Tay Cities Region Joint Committee met in Dundee on February 21, but after the meeting Councillor Richard McCready voiced his frustration.
The Labour councillor for the West End ward, Dundee, said: “We are now more than two months on from the general election and we appear to be no further forward.
“This is not good enough. Councillors, other public sector institutions such as the universities in the region and the private sector are keen for the deal to become a reality.”
Co-leader of Fife Council David Ross was made the convener for the Fife area at last week’s meeting.
He said: “It would be nice if the two governments would finally sign off the City Region Deal.”
Mr McCready added: “I am pleased David will take on this role and I know he will be really good at it. I am frustrated that in terms of jobs the only ones that the Tay Cities Region Joint Committee has made a substantive decision on is who gets to chair the meetings.
“I call on the governments to work with partners in the Tay Cities region to sign off the deal, invest in the region and make a real difference in terms of jobs in this area.”
Dundee City Council leader John Alexander said he going to push for clarity now that he is the vice-chair of the deal’s delivery group.
He said: “The Tay Cities partners have been incredibly patient up to this point. However, that patience is wearing thin.
“From our perspective, this is about creating opportunities for people across Dundee and Tayside.
“That’s why I not only asked for the deal to be signed within a matter of weeks, but for more funding to be provided, in line with the prime minister’s promises on infrastructure.
“I will leave no rock unturned in our drive to deliver this investment, working with every partner and politician involved.”
Mr Alexander recently wrote to then Chancellor Sajid Javid over fears a proposal by the UK government to “drip-feed” their £150m investment over 15 years would “not deliver any significant boost, nor would it allow for projects to move forward at pace”.
The Courier asked the UK government’s Scottish Office if a date has been set, but the question was not directly answered.
A UK government spokesman said: “In the past year good progress has been made on the detailed business cases for all of the projects on the deal.
“All of the partners are working closely on preparations for the full deal signing, which we are committed to doing as soon as possible.”
