The Scottish Government has announced a new initiative which has resulted in £40 million of European investment into Scottish Cities, including funding for local empowerment initiatives.
The Scottish government writes:
Scottish Government investment in cities is delivering tenfold, with £4 million bringing £40 million in return, Deputy First Minister John Swinney today revealed.
Mr Swinney highlighted figures that show the Scottish Cities Alliance, a partnership between Scotland’s seven cities and the Scottish Government, has secured £40 million of investment, including £10 million of European Funding to support smart city initiatives.
Speaking today (Friday) at the Scottish Governments Cities Convention in Perth, Mr. Swinney said: ‘The strength of our cities as drivers of growth is clearly indicated by today’s figures that show that the Scottish Cities Alliance, through partnership working, has secured over 10 times the amount of investment provided by the Scottish Government. This is a good return by anyone’s standards and one which we can be proud of. These investments are delivering major improvements to business connectivity and providing better links between our cities and centres of economic growth. This is a long-term approach and I have every confidence that there will be more to come in future years.’
The Convention – a Scottish Government-led initiative – brings together representatives from Scotland’s seven cities, and will include discussions around local empowerment and the best ways to ensure our cities are great places to live, work and invest in advance of the publication of the government’s refreshed Agenda for Cities next year.
