Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Tay Cities Deal cash to be accelerated

Dundee and the Tay
A view of the River Tay and Dundee.

Money for Moray and Tay Cities region growth deals will be handed out over a 10-year period, it has been agreed.

The initial heads of terms for both indicated cash from the UK Government would be dispensed over a 15-year cycle; however, an agreement has been reached to cut this by five years.

It is hoped the Tay Cities Deal could be finalised by December, more than two years after the initial agreement was given.

It is hoped the Moray deal, meanwhile, will be signed off in full before the Holyrood election.

News of the acceleration was welcomed by representatives in the Tay and Moray regions, but Dundee administration leader Councillor John Alexander said the process still needed to move “at pace”.

As it stands, the Tay Cities Deal will have an additional £6.3 million annually and Moray £1.1 million as a result.

The time for talking is done, the time for delivering is finally upon us and I can’t wait to see the projects coming out of the group, creating opportunities for the local economy.”

Councillor John Alexander, Dundee City Council leader

As part of its 2020 spending review, the Treasury agreed to accelerate the funding for the Islands and Borderlands region deals also.

Nothing has been signed off on any of the four deals singled out in the review, but the announcement made on Wednesday afternoon is regarded as a commitment.

Welcome news for Moray

Moray council leader Graham Leadbitter said: “The commitment from the UK Government to match the Scottish Government’s timescale for investment is positive news for Moray.

Councillor Graham Leadbitter.

“The growth deal projects in Moray represent investment in jobs, skills, iconic infrastructure and connectivity for our predominantly rural area.

“Any acceleration in this investment is very welcome.”

Tay Cities has taken ‘far too long’

Dundee City Council leader and vice-chairman of the Tay Cities Deal board John Alexander said: “The long-awaited, and what seemed like elusive, Tay Cities Deal has finally been given the go ahead and I’m absolutely delighted. It’s fair to say that it has taken far too long.

“The Tayside politicians and officers have worked incredibly hard in the background to get a deal that works and deliver real investment. Those efforts have now been rewarded.

Councillor John Alexander.

“One of our core asks was a move to 10-year funding, which helps deliver the collective ambitions sooner and, therefore, deliver the benefits sooner. The UK Government have now committed to that timeframe, following the Scottish Government’s lead.

“Now we need to get this signed off formally and that will allow key infrastructure projects to move forward, at pace.

“The time for talking is done, the time for delivering is finally upon us and I can’t wait to see the projects coming out of the group, creating opportunities for the local economy.”

Treasury showing ‘union strength’

Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “The UK Government’s spending review delivers for all parts of the UK at this challenging time. Never before has the strength of the union and the role of the UK Treasury been more important.

“We made a commitment to maintain funding for our vital rural and coastal communities and are fulfilling that through £570 million to support farmers and our rural economy, and £14 million to support Scottish fisheries.

“Additional funding for broadband will help boost the economies of some of Scotland’s most remote communities.

Alister Jack, Secretary of State for Scotland.

“Accelerating the Tay, Moray, Borderlands and Islands growth deals is great news. It will help support jobs and drive economic recovery across swathes of Scotland.

“The Scottish Government will receive an additional £2.4 billion in Barnett consequentials. This is over and above the £8.2 billion they have already been allocated since March this year.

“This additional funding will help support jobs and public services in Scotland while we fight the pandemic.

“The UK Government will continue to do all it can to support people in all parts of the United Kingdom.”

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross added: “It’s now a fact that Rishi Sunak and the UK Government have gone further than any government in peacetime history to protect jobs and support public services.

Douglas Ross.

“These unparalleled spending promises show that the deep pockets of the UK Government are best placed to support Scottish jobs, schools and hospitals.

“The Scottish Conservatives argued for accelerated City and Growth deals to invest more quickly in Scottish communities, and we’re delighted to see that has been delivered alongside a bumper £2.4 billion boost in Barnett consequentials.”