The SNP leader of Glasgow City Council has urged the new Labour government to guarantee the delivery of the £15 million in Levelling Up cash promised to the city by the Tories.
Susan Aitken said she was concerned by recent comments by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray suggesting that money earmarked for a regeneration project in Drumchapel might be under review.
Earlier this month, speaking to journalists, the Scottish Secretary said many of the funding commitments made by the last prime minister “didn’t have any cash attached” and had left a £22bn black hole in the public finances.
"A lot of this stuff is all under review,” he said.
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The row over the Levelling Up money comes ahead of what could be a closely fought council by-election.
The vote in the Drumchapel/Anniesland ward was triggered after the sitting Labour councillor, Patricia Ferguson, resigned her seat following her election to Westminster.
In the 2022 local government elections, the two Labour candidates received 2,758 first preference votes, while the two SNP hopefuls took in 2,391.
The Tory government boasted that its “levelling up commitment” to communities totalled close to £2.7 billion, roughly £535 for every person in Scotland.
Last November, Glasgow City Council was told they would receive almost £15m to invest in Drumchapel town centre, to improve “connectivity in to and around the town to improve retail opportunities and boost the local economy”.
The money will be used to pay for a new public plaza and better walking and cycling routes, as well as new green space and street furniture, and work to address local flooding issues.
As well as the £14.98m from the UK Government's levelling up fund, the council stumped a further £1.664m in funding.
Speaking to journalists, Mr Murray was asked if all spending commitments made by the previous government were being reassessed or if promises from the previous administration would be kept.
“Yes, a lot of this stuff is all under review,” he said. “It will all be announced in the Budget and in the spending review, both for this next financial year and the three-year spending review that will happen in April next year.
“So everything is under review, yes, because a lot of the stuff that was promised didn’t have any cash attached to it.”
In a letter to Mr Murray — seen by The Herald — Councillor Aitken said the remarks had “caused consternation in communities that stood to benefit, not least in Drumchapel in Glasgow, where local people have been closely involved over a number of years in developing the plans which the almost £15m Levelling Up funding would have helped to deliver.”
She said the city’s bid was for “a large scale regeneration of Drumchapel Town Centre, to deliver new homes, improved public realm and connectivity, and new economic and employment opportunities for local people.”
Cllr Aitken said the council and other partners had “already invested significant resource and staff time in this project on the understanding that funding is available for delivery.”
“The removal or even delay of this investment would be a huge setback for Drumchapel, a community that has already experienced too many such in its history.
“I urge you to confirm as soon as possible that Drumchapel will receive this promised investment so that works can continue as planned”.
READ MORE:
- Drumchapel receives almost £17m in levelling up funds
- Levelling up money for Glasgow's Drumchapel receives mixed response
- Levelling up: What is the fund and what has Scotland got?
A UK Government source told The Herald that they had to be "respectful" with taxpayers' cash.
They said: “Due to the absolutely dire state in which the Tories left the public finances in, a decision on funding will be made following the Spending Review process.
“The UK Labour government inherited a £22 billion black hole in this year's accounts. The Tories had spent the Treasury reserves three times over by July.
“18 months after crashing the economy with unfunded spending plans, the Tories were ready to do it all over again. That’s why this Labour government is taking the tough but necessary decisions to get the books in order, after the mess the Tories made.
“This is about being honest with people and being respectful of taxpayers' money, not making promises we can’t keep.”
There has already been some criticism of the Drumchapel project by Labour politicians in the city.
MSP Paul Sweeney said it was the “pet project” of council officers and that questioned whether it should have been the “top priority” for the money.
He said Springburn Winter Gardens, an A-listed glasshouse, “would have been more deserving".
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