Fife Council leader David Ross has said Westminster’s support for a city region deal for Edinburgh and South East Scotland is a “huge step forward”.
Talks are ongoing about the scheme which is expected to see the bid partners Fife, Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, West Lothian and the Scottish Borders share in £1 billion funding, while it is also anticipated the deal could leverage an additional £3.2bn worth of private sector investment.
Chancellor George Osborne confirmed the Government’s support for the project in his Budget, and Mr Ross said that commitment will help Fife accelerate substantial economic growth across the region.
“This is something we have been working towards for nearly two years now, and I’d like to pay tribute to the hard work of those involved from the local authorities and all the public and private sector organisations that have supported us to get to this important stage,” he said.
“Through a shared vision the local authorities involved are set to create new ways of doing things. This will give the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region greater autonomy and decision making powers, as well as increase opportunities for learning and development and investment in infrastructure.
“The idea is to build on the many strengths of the city region, while also tackling inequality.
“We submitted our proposals in September and remain as determined as ever to negotiate greater fiscal powers for our region and funding towards strategic housing, transport and infrastructure to help the region to become the most connected, creative, inclusive and innovative place in Europe.”