Nicola Sturgeon has apologised over her previous claims on the funding arrangements for Aberdeen Art Gallery.
A row has been growing after the First Minister recently claimed that the city council had not applied for any Scottish Government funding during the planning stages for the £34.6 million revamp.
She made the statement in response to a question from north-east Tory MSP Tom Mason, who was comparing the millions in government funding granted to Dundee’s V&A compared to the art gallery revamp.
She said: “I do think it is a bit rich to criticise the Scottish Government for not giving funding when the council in question never asked us for funding.”
However, city council co-leader Douglas Lumsden has since provided letters that showed that the local authority had applied for Creative Scotland grants in 2013 and 2016 – appealing for the Scottish Government to match fund a UK Government grant.
Both bids were not progressed.
Mr Mason, who is also a city councillor, asked Ms Sturgeon yesterday to apologise at first minister’s questions for “misleading this chamber”.
She responded: “I have, I believe, already written to Tom Mason and indeed to the presiding officer.
Nicola Sturgeon embroiled in Aberdeen Art Gallery funding row
“It is the case that no approach was made to the Scottish Government or Historic Environment Scotland during the planning or business case stages.
“An application was made to Creative Scotland in 2013 which was not successful. I was not aware of that application when I answered the question last week and for that I apologise.”
She added that there was no political motivation for the decision to reject the bid.
