Transferring Typhoons from RAF Leuchars in Fife to Lossiemouth will have a one-off cost of over £40m and then an extra £10m a year.
The estimates from Defence Secretary Philip Hammond in a response to North-East Fife MP Sir Menzies Campbell have led campaigners to argue the significant cost should be enough to force the UK Government into a rethink.
However, Mr Hammond has ruled out such a move, stating: ”I do not intend to reconsider the outcome of the basing review.”
In a letter to Sir Menzies a copy of which was seen by The Courier Mr Hammond said the Government is still committed to establishing an army garrison in Leuchars once the RAF has departed.
There was dismay in July when the defence secretary at the time, Liam Fox, announced details of the plan to close RAF Leuchars. Referring to the decision, Mr Hammond wrote: ”I know Liam Fox consulted widely before reaching the conclusion that the best interests of the department as a whole are served by building up the Typhoon force at Lossiemouth, thus making Leuchars available for units of the Multi Role (army) Brigade to be based in Scotland.”
He said he was aware of concerns over ”the degree of certainty” surrounding the arrival of army troops in Fife and, while unable to commit to a firm timescale, he said ”detailed implementation planning” is under way.
Mr Hammond also said the Government is committed to ”vacating high value sites and fully utilising sites we retain.”
Explaining the estimated £43m cost of moving the RAF from Leuchars to Lossiemouth, he said this would include the transfer of ”personnel, stores, equipment, communications and information systems.”
Sir Menzies branded the defence secretary’s reluctance to commit to a firm timetable for the arrival of army troops ”extremely disappointing”. He also urged Mr Hammond to reconsider the decision to close Fife’s RAF base.
”There is once again a question mark over the army’s plans for Scotland, and with that comes doubt about the Ministry of Defence’s plans for Leuchars,” he told The Courier. ”It is four months since the decision was taken to turn RAF Leuchars into an army base, yet the Ministry of Defence appears to suggest its plans for the base are still a work in progress.
”The new Secretary of State for Defence has carefully avoided providing a detailed timetable for the arrival of the army at Leuchars or even guarantees that this will come to pass. This lack of clarity is extremely disappointing.”
Fraser Philips, chairman of the Residents’ Action Force Leuchars, is similarly concerned. He said the uncertainty hanging over Fife is all the more upsetting given the MoD’s announcement earlier this month of details for an army base at Kinloss in Moray.
”For more than a year uncertainty has surrounded the base at Leuchars and doubts about its future still remain,” Mr Philips said. ”If the army is coming to Leuchars, the Ministry of Defence should be able to provide the people of Fife with the same sort of assurances it recently gave the community of Kinloss.”
In a letter sent to Mr Hammond, Sir Menzies suggests the integrity of July’s basing review has now been ”undermined”.
”I am disappointed that the basing review is not to be reopened, not least because the uncertainties you frankly identify in your letter seem to undermine the integrity of the review,” the MP wrote.
It was said figures show that basing the Typhoon force at Lossiemouth rather than Leuchars will cost £3.4m more per squadron every year (£10.2m overall presuming there are to be three squadrons) because of additional transit time to training areas.
Sir Menzies continued: ”The language of your letter is careful not to give any guarantee that any army units will ever be stationed at Leuchars. Do you accept that it is possible that the army will decide not to go to Leuchars?”