A delegation from the Highlands will head to London today for showdown talks with UK defence chiefs over the future of Fort George.
Drew Hendry MP, Maree Todd MSP and Highland Council leader Margaret Davidson will demand “unequivocal assurances” that the Army will remain at the barracks.
The group will meet Defence Minister Mark Lancaster amid ongoing uncertainty over the future of the 250-year-old garrison as the Ministry of Defence (MoD) carries out a footprint review.
Last week, the Press and Journal revealed official figures which showed that Fort George was the cheapest Army base in Scotland to run, and that £37million had been invested at the site and Kinloss Barracks in Moray in the last three years.
Mr Hendry and Mrs Davidson plan to raise the figures at the meeting in Westminster today.
Mr Hendry, the SNP MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, said last night: “The threat looming over Fort George puts up to 750 jobs and the £16 million at risk in our local economy.
“Together we will highlight the devastating impact closure would have on our local community.
“We already know, from MoD’s own figures that Fort George is its most cost effective base.
“This coupled with the news that in the last three years, over £30million has been spent on Fort George and Kinloss, makes any suggestion that there is a financial case for closure untenable.”
He added: “Anything short of unequivocal assurances from the Minister, that the base is no longer under threat will be unacceptable.
“The MoD must put an end to this uncertainty once and for all.”
Built after the Battle of Culloden, Fort George has been the home of the famous Black Watch battalion since 2007 and also houses the recently-revamped regimental museum for The Highlanders.
About 6,000 people have backed the Press and Journal’s campaign to save the base since we revealed that it was being considered for closure in June.
The MoD said: “As part of an ongoing review, we are aiming to create a smaller and better defence estate that effectively supports our armed forces in the important role they play.
“The MoD is considering how it might achieve this and no final decision about the future of Fort George has been made at this time.”
