A pro-independence business body has called for more support for the energy industry after branding the City Region Deal “disappointing”.
Kenny Anderson, managing director of Anderson Construction and a member of Business for Scotland also called for incentives for renewables to be reinstated to support engineering expertise in the North Sea.
The Aberdeen-based businessman said: “The region has made the case for £2.9billion in support, but Prime Minister David Cameron visited Aberdeen to announce that Westminster would offer just £125million.
“The fact that there is any money at all to support the region has to be welcomed, and so does the Scottish Government’s commitment to take the city deal figure up to £504million with its own money, meaning the deal is actually 75% funded by the Scottish Government.
“It’s remarkable that of the £504million, only £125 million is coming from Westminster and even that is over 10 years.
“If Westminster had match funded the Scottish Government, more than £750million could have been used to prevent premature decommissioning and prevent oil and gas field abandonment.
“Given Westminster has reaped well over £300billion from Scottish oil and gas fields during the past 40 years, you’d expect ‘the broad shoulders of Better Together’s Union’ to deliver substantially more.
“That Aberdeen should be disappointed is a massive understatement.”
“I think incentives for renewables should be reinstated and assistance with developing the new technologies is an avenue for the engineering expertise developed in the North Sea.”