Accusation over ‘Plan for Neighbourhoods’ initiative follows withdrawal of £5m in Levelling Up cash for Perth projects.
A Perthshire MP has accused the UK Labour Government of “once again snubbing” Perth and Kinross when the region was left out of a new funding initiative.
It follows the withdrawal of £5 million in Levelling Up funding for three landmark Perth projects last month when neighbouring Dundee and Angus had their £20m awards honoured.
The previous Conservative UK Government – which established the Levelling Up Fund as a post-EU exit replacement for EU funding – had recognised the case for money to go to Perth and three projects, amounting to £5m, identified.
Perth and Kinross Council had applied in successive rounds of funding and was awarded the £5m in March 2024, but this was officially withdrawn by the new Labour government last month.
SNP Perth and Kinross-shire MP Pete Wishart pointed to the £1.5bn ‘Plan for Neighbourhoods’ announced this week involving 75 selected communities from across the UK.
Ten of the 75 are in Scotland – including Arbroath, Elgin and Peterhead – with each receiving £20m.
Mr Wishart said: “The Fair City, along with towns and villages across Perth and Kinross, have suffered from the economic turmoil of the last several years, a lot of which has been a direct result of woeful UK Government mismanagement, most notably Brexit, the Liz Truss mini-budget and, now, the employers’ National Insurance rise.
“And yet, successive UK governments have, time and time again, shunned Perth and Kinross, by failing to give funding to our local communities, despite Perth and Kinross Council drawing up numerous plans for projects that would have been transformative, and doing everything it can to get their attention.
“Since coming into power, the Labour government has taken from local pensioners, our farmers and our small businesses, but have given nothing in return.
“It is now crystal clear that for all their talk about growth and regeneration across the UK, Perth and Kinross is simply not a part of their considerations.
“I will now be writing once more to the UK Government to try to find out what exactly it has against Perth and Kinross, and if their relentless disregard for our communities will ever end.”
Perth projects set to benefit from the £5m Levelling Up cash were the restoration of the A-listed Lower City Mills as a tourist attraction, the conversion of the vacant former foundry by Perth Museum into “The Ironworks” exhibition and workspace, and turning the former VisitScotland tourist information centre in Perth High Street into a shopfront for Perthshire food and drink providers.
A Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “Through our £1.5bn ‘Plan for Neighbourhoods’ we are delivering on the previous government’s unfunded commitment to give places what they have been promised and put communities at the heart of these changes.”
