Moray SNP News

MORAY MSP RESPONDS TO UK GOVERNMENT LEVELLING UP ANNOUNCEMENT

Responding to the UK Government’s Levelling Up announcement, Moray MSP Richard Lochhead said: 

“This is the levelling up funds that led to a big backlash at the beginning of this year after the UK Government shockingly snubbed Moray Council’s £18m bid for an Elgin master plan, meaning that of the multi-billion pound fund not a penny had come to Moray, despite the Tory PM giving his own constituency a similar pot of cash.

“This is also part of the post-Brexit fall out after Moray and the Highlands and Islands lost tens of millions in EU grants that have not been replaced by the UK Government as promised.

“£2m a year for just one of Moray’s many communities that by-passes the Scottish Parliament and goes straight to local councils would appear to me to be a purely political and headline grabbing intervention but, of course, all cash for Moray is welcome, especially for our local high streets. This is however only a small part of what is owed to Moray by the UK government.

“UK Government announcements are often about grabbing headlines and little else so let’s wait and see what happens here.”