- Chancellor announces millions for West
of Scotland transport links and extra funding to explore
upgrades to the A75.
- Investment follows the Industrial Strategy which boosted
Advanced Manufacturing clusters and the Spending Review which
delivered a record settlement for Scottish public services.
- Funding is part of Government's plan to invest in the economy
right across the UK.
The investment will help workers access jobs in high growth
sectors supercharged by the government's modern Industrial
Strategy and Spending Review.
The UK Government is boosting investment across Scotland through
two investment zones and multiple industrial sites from the North
East of Scotland Investment Zone to the Prestwick Aerospace
Cluster.
This £66 million will work alongside these investments to fund
three Scottish transport schemes and create direct links between
towns and economic hubs in the West of Scotland.
Renfrewshire Council will get £38.7 million to link Paisley town
centre with Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland
(AMIDS) and Glasgow Airport. New walking, cycling, bus and car
links will be built so local people can benefit from the growth
of high value manufacturing in Renfrewshire.
Another £23.7 million will be given to North Ayrshire Council to
upgrade the B714. This upgrade will see a much faster route
between the Three Towns of Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston to
Glasgow, and cut traffic in Kilwinning. The Chancellor
prioritised finding this cash during last month's Spending
Review, which also saw billions invested in Scotland's growth
sectors.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, said:
We're pledging billions to back Scottish jobs, industry and
renewal - that's why we're investing in the major transport
projects, including exploring upgrades to the A75, that local
communities have been calling for.
Whilst previous governments oversaw over a decade of decline of
our transport infrastructure, we're investing in Britain's
renewal. This £66 million investment is exactly what our Plan for
Change is about, investing in what matters to you in the places
that you live.
Meanwhile, the Scottish Government will be given an extra £3.45
million to suggest upgrades to the A75 in Dumfries and
Galloway. The key road, which links the Cairnryan port
serving Northern Ireland with the rest of the UK, is vital to UK
connectivity and growing the economy. This new money comes on top
of the up-to-£5 million announced at the Chancellor's Autumn
Budget 2024.
As part of a wider investment strategy in Scotland the Spending
Review saw around £200 million committed to the Acorn Carbon
Capture, Usage and Storage project, subject to business cases,
and £8.3 billion confirmed for Great British Energy,
strengthening Scotland's position as the home of the UK's clean
energy revolution.
A multi-decade, multi-billion project to secure jobs at HM Naval
Base Clyde was also kickstarted with an initial £250 million
investment.
Whilst in Scotland the Chancellor will also visit the Edinburgh
Supercomputer, which will receive up to £750 million in UK
Government funding, later on Friday. The funding, announced
during the Chancellor's Spending Review will ensure that Scotland
becomes home to the UK's most powerful Supercomputer, supporting
Scottish research and development, and industry.
The Spending Review delivered a record settlement for Scottish
public services, with the Scottish Government's largest
settlement, in real terms, since devolution in 1998. Scottish
Government's settlement is growing in real terms between 2024-25
and 2028-29. This translates into an average of £50.9 billion per
year between 2026-27 and 2028-29.
Scotland Secretary, , said:
This £66 million investment in Scotland's roads demonstrates the
UK Government's commitment to improving infrastructure and
driving economic growth in all parts of the UK as part of our
Plan for Change. This investment will make a real difference to
people's daily lives and to the local economies of the South of
Scotland, Ayrshire and Renfrewshire.
New road links will connect Paisley town centre with Glasgow
Airport and the new advanced manufacturing innovation district,
to boost high value manufacturing in Renfrewshire. The upgrade to
the B714 will speed up journeys between Glasgow and the three
towns of Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston, as well as cutting
traffic in Kilwinning. And the A75 is strategically important
just not within but beyond Scotland. Its upgrading is long
overdue. I am pleased that the UK Government has stepped up to
fund the delivery of the A75 feasibility study in full.
This investment is yet another example of how the UK Government
is building the foundations for a stronger, more prosperous
future that benefits communities right across Scotland.
More information
- As strategic roads in Scotland are the Scottish Government's
responsibility, any future upgrades to the A75 will be funded
from the Scottish Government's block grant.
- The Ayrshire and Renfrewshire projects are part of a £378m
UK-wide Levelling Up Fund cash boost, upgrading transport
links across Britain, which will also be announced today.
- Building work on the LUF projects will be able to start as
final business cases are given the green light by the Department
for Transport.
