Following RAF Lossiemouth taking ownership of a
strategic facility to house nine new submarine hunting
Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, the Moray Aerospace,
Advanced Technology and Innovation Campus will work
with both the RAF and private partners to support the
fleet.
This will create hundreds of new student places to
provide Moray residents with the skills for working in
the aviation sector. This will turn Moray into a global
centre for aviation engineering and attract further
businesses to the region.
Today’s announcement means that the UK Government will
invest £21 million in the project as part of the Moray
Growth Deal, with a further £12.3 million from local
partners.
UK Government minister for Scotland, ,
visited RAF Lossiemouth today [Wednesday 12 August].
Speaking after his tour, Mr Stewart said:
Since the Moray deal was announced we have been
working to make progress, and I am delighted to
confirm the UK Government will invest £21 million in
this college hub which will help the region prosper
from its aerospace sector.
There is a significant way to go to get our economy
back on track after the coronavirus pandemic, but we
know that the City and Region Growth Deals will be
crucial to Scotland’s economic recovery.
The pandemic has called for extraordinary economic
measures, and the UK Government has done everything
we can to support jobs and businesses. We have
supported 900,000 jobs in Scotland with our furlough
and self-employed schemes, including 15,700 in Moray.
The UK Government is investing more than £1.5 billion
in City Region and Growth Deals across every part of
Scotland. This programme is creating thousands of
jobs and opportunities and we will continue to work
with the Scottish Government to deliver these.
This announcement follows a visit to RAF Lossiemouth
from the Prime Minister at the end of last month. Here,
he saw the leading contribution made by the Armed
Forces in Scotland, both to crises like the coronavirus
response and the day-to-day defence of the UK.
Background
The full list of projects, all subject to business case
approval, in the Moray Growth Deal are expected to be
announced shortly. The ambitious deal is set to create
opportunities for those who choose to live and work in
Moray, and is jointly funded by the UK Government
(£32.5 million), Scottish Government (£32.5 million),
and regional partners (TBC).
The Moray Growth deal funding was announced in
July 2019
Heads of terms on the deal are expected to be signed
shortly.
