The leader of Aberdeen City Council has claimed the city will get “only a fraction” of a £254million funding package promised by the Scottish Government.
Jenny Laing said the bulk of the cash would go elsewhere – with £200million being used to upgrade the rail link at Montrose, £25millionbeing spent on the Laurencekirk flyover and £10million earmarked for digital infrastructure in Aberdeenshire.
Mrs Laing said: “It doesn’t leave much for the people who live and work in Aberdeen,”
“It’s bad enough that the Scottish Government has announced the money four times since 2008.
“To discover now that we won’t even benefit from the bulk of the cash is a complete and utter travesty and a betrayal.”
Mrs Laing said she had been campaigning for First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to commit a timeline for the regeneration package announced alongside the £250million City Regional Deal.
The investment was confirmed on the same day as the deal, which will be delivered on a 50-50 basis by Westminster and Holyrood.
Mrs Laing said: “It’s not difficult to imagine why the SNP would treat Aberdeen with such contempt, given that in the independence referendum in 2014, almost 60% of our citizens voted to remain in the Union.
“And to rub salt into the wound, the Scottish Government announced a funding package of £135 million for Inverness in its own City Region Deal, £10million more than was given to Aberdeen.”
She insisted that despite the “handicap” the council’s Labour-led administration would continue to be progressive in its efforts to help the city.
She cited affordable housing, the Third Don Crossing, a new Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, a £300million extension of Aberdeen harbour, more than £1billion of new projects through the city’s planning department since last year and the city centre masterplan.
“We believe the people of Aberdeen deserve an administration that has their needs at its heart, which is why we will continue to represent them in the face of the negativity coming our way from the Scottish Government,” she said.
However, Kevin Stewart, SNP candidate for Aberdeen Central rejected the claims and accused Labour of moaning.
He said: “It’s typical of Labour that when the SNP government provides £379million of investment to support infrastructure in Aberdeen and across the north-east that will help the local economy, all Labour can do is complain.”
He added that projects funded by the deal were specifically requested by both Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire councils.
“People in the north-east will find it very odd that the leader of the city council appears to be criticising a massive investment in the region by the SNP Scottish Government and not criticising the failure of the UK Government to match the SNP’s commitment.
“It is no surprise that the Better Together alliance is alive and well within the Labour-Tory Aberdeen City Council.
“Instead of attacking the UK Government’s paltry contribution to the City Deal – less than half the per capita contribution of similar deals in England – Labour have seen fit to criticise the SNP’s £379million investment in the north-east.”
