THE leader of Perth and Kinross Council has criticised the ‘unacceptable neglect’ of Perth in the third round of UK levelling up funding announced by the UK Government on Monday.
A total of 55 projects were awarded funding, including six in Scotland – with Moray, North and South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, Glasgow, Dumfries and Galloway, and the Borders receiving almost £122 million.
However, Perth and Kinross Council was informed earlier this week that its bid was unsuccessful. Responding to the news, councillor Grant Laing, leader of Perth and Kinross Council, said, “Last week I had the opportunity to discuss this issue personally with Jacob Young MP, the minister for levelling up, and took the opportunity to convey just how crucial an opportunity the levelling up fund is to allow us to deliver a transformative shift in the economy of Perth and Kinross.
“Following this meeting I also wrote to him directly hoping for a positive outcome in the recent allocations of funds. For reasons unknown to me, Perth and Kinross remain the only Local Authority area in Scotland containing a city to not receive any funding through this scheme.
“Our goal is to elevate Perth’s productivity and competitiveness within the UK, and we aim to do that by transforming the economy of Perth which, historically, has heavily relied on tourism, retail and the hospitality sectors – all sectors that were significantly impacted upon during the Covid-19 pandemic and many of which are continuing to struggle to recover from.
“The average weekly pay for someone working in Perth and Kinross is £575, compared to the Scottish average of £622 and this has been the case for eight of the last ten years. This is not about a project that would be a nice addition for Perth; this is about categorically changing the future of the city and the lives of our residents by providing new opportunities and diversifying Perth and Kinross’s economy towards higher paid, technology-based jobs.
“No matter what yesterday’s (22/11/23) Autumn Statement has said about the living wage and national insurance, we know that unless we change our economy, people living in Perth and Kinross will have to look further afield for better paid jobs. I hope that my letter to the minister will not go unheeded and that the response we receive will not only provide clarity but confidence that the future of Perth and Kinross is a priority for the UK Government and that we will not become Scotland’s forgotten city.”
