Helensburgh's MP slams 'rehashed promises' on growth funding

During a visit to Faslane on Monday, Boris Johnson said Argyll and Bute would get a share of a £300 million fund to expand ‘growth deals’ in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

However, it is not yet clear exactly how big Argyll and Bute's slice of the new cake will be.

And Argyll and Bute MP Brendan O’Hara says the UK government has already under-funded ‘city deals’ in Scotland, as well as short-changing the country’s farmers, police, fire service and NHS.

The cash, according to a Number 10 news release, will be used to “begin new deals in Falkirk, the Islands, Argyll and Bute, Mid South West Northern Ireland and Causeway Coast and Glens”.

Mr O’Hara said: “If there was any truth in any ‘promise’ of additional funding from Boris Johnson for the rural growth deal, I would be the first to welcome it but let’s face it, we’ve been promised little bungs before. We’re still trying to understand where the £5 million promise for the Helensburgh pool has been displaced to.

“The Tory government has short-changed Scotland and cut our budget at every opportunity over the past decade.

"We are still owed literally billions of pounds and this rehashed announcement won’t even scratch the surface of the shortfall in funding - let alone provide a boost in the face of a Brexit disaster.

“As a start, the UK government must pay up the £400m due in its underfunding of Scottish city deals, give Scottish farmers the £160m owed in missing convergence payments, refund the £175m in VAT taken from the Scottish police and fire services, cough up the £55m NHS shortfall, and pay Scotland the £3.4bn due in Barnett consequentials from the Tory-DUP Brexit bungs.

“If Boris Johnson is serious, he would hand over the money Scotland is due in full, and scrap his plans to impose a devastating Brexit, which would be catastrophic - costing Scotland’s economy up to £12.7bn a year, hitting public services, people’s jobs and living standards.

“This is a rehashed promise of funding that we already expected, which the Scottish Government will match fund, so let’s be under no illusion: we’ve been here before.”

Argyll and Bute Council’s outline proposals for a ‘rural growth deal’ for the area, unveiled last year, included more jobs, more space for businesses and better links with Faslane as key priorities for the Helensburgh area.

There was a rather warmer welcome for Mr Johnson's announcement from West of Scotland Conservative MSP Maurice Corry – not just for the ‘growth fund’ announced on Monday, but also for plans to provide more cash for armed forces veterans.

Mr Corry, who lives in Helensburgh, said: “I was delighted to hear Boris Johnson launching a new department for veterans’ affairs during his visit to Faslane, showing the UK government’s commitment to lifelong support for our armed forces veterans.

“I trust the Scottish Government will implement similar support as a result of this.

“The pledges made by the Prime Minister will help give people confidence in what is available for them in Argyll and Bute, and will be available in the future.”