In a new report published today, 08 January, the Local Government and Communities Committee said while it welcomes the commitment of around £3.3 billion of investment into the country, a number of issues need to be
addressed "as a matter of urgency".
Key findings of the 'Deal or No Deal' report include;
• Local communities and businesses should be involved in City Region Deals in a meaningful way so they can help shape projects, and should not just be "informed after decisions have been made".
• There are "confused and cluttered" priorities between the UK Government, Scottish Government and local authorities. As an example, the Committee said investments made by the UK Government focus on purely economic and bottom-line benefits, whereas the focus for the Scottish Government is inclusive growth
• Rural and remote areas, including towns not covered by by City Region Deals, must not "miss out or lose out" against bigger cities". In addition, other initiatives such as the Ayrshire Growth Deal and the Borderlands Initiative should not be seen as the 'poor cousin; of City Region Deals.
• The Committee recommends other Deals learn from the lessons of the Glasgow City Region Deal, which is the most established in the country and currently under review.
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There are currently four City Region Deals in Scotland that are in either the delivery stage or have reached outline approval; Glasgow (£1.13bn), Edinburgh (£1.1bn), Aberdeen (£826m) and Inverness (£315m) and their surrounding regions. A further two deals for the cities of Stirling and Dundee, plus the wider areas in the central region and in Tayside, are being discussed.
Some of the projects within the deals include;
• A new £144m direct link between Glasgow Central Station and Glasgow Airport
• £44m on a new country park, new business infrastructure and development, an enhanced road network and a new rail station in East Renfrewshire
• £354m on a new Oil and Gas Technology Centre in Aberdeen
• £38m on a new Bio-Therapeutic Hub for Innovation as part of the Aberdeen City Region Deal
• £107m for the East Link and Longman Interchange in Inverness
• Plans for £300m for world-leading data innovation centres as part of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal
Overall, 83% of the population (4.5 million people) live int eh areas that are covered by existing or planned City Region Deals.
However, Local Government and Communities Committee Convener, Bob Doris MSP, said the Committee "strongly recommend" all governments, both national and local, should work together and agree to a single focus "as a key priority should be maximising the benefits for local communities".
"We welcome the significant investment of £3.3 billion to create new jobs and build exciting and thriving areas around our major cities – some of which are in the most impoverished and deprived areas of Scotland," he said.
"But it's clear from the evidence we have heard and our Committee visits that there are significant issues with City Region Deals that must be addressed.
"While it's still very early days in the City Region Deals lifespan, it's not clear how other towns and the more rural and remote areas of Scotland will benefit from these Deals. There is also a risk that some parts of Scotland could miss out or lose out on the benefits that these projects may bring, and that other initiatives are treated as the poor cousin in comparison.
"In order for City Region Deals to be a success right across Scotland, we need clarity on when this initiative will be extended to all. As these Deals are in the early years of a 10-20 year programme of investment, our Committee will be keeping a close eye to check whether these improvements have been made and whether further action is required."
(LM/MH)
