EURO-CASH BOOST COULD BE ON THE WAY FOR SOUTH SCOTLAND
Written by author on November 12, 2015
GOVERNMENT plans which could see the setting up of a South of Scotland to be set up as a separate NUTS 11 region could bring millions of pounds of European cash.
The Council as part of the South of Scotland Alliance, with its partners Scottish Borders Council and Scottish Enterprise have been campaigning for the south of Scotland to be recognised as a NUTS II region in its own right for a long time. Previously this has been turned down by the Scottish Government due to the low population; however working with other areas such as the Ayrshires and South Lanarkshire we believe that there is a case to be made for the new ‘Southern Scotland’ area to be made.
The statistics applied to NUTS (Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics) designated regions are used to formulate regional policy initiatives and to determine regional funding allocations and eligibility.
The South of Scotland Alliance has undertaken a piece of research which demonstrates that the economy of proposed new Southern Scotland region relies heavily on production, distribution, transport and accommodation and food sectors than either the current Western or Eastern Scotland regions. It also relies heavily on the public sector, local, authorities, health and education.
But, it is under represented in the higher growth areas of information and communication; finance and insurance; or business services. There are a large number of micro and small businesses in the Southern Scotland economy, with the gross median pay being below the Scottish average in each council area.
By changing the lines on the map we will potentially be able to attract extra EU Funding which means more money coming into the Southern Scotland region that currently Scotland doesn’t get with no detrimental effect on the rest of Scotland.
Chairman of Economy, Environment and Infrastructure committee and co-chair of South of Scotland Alliance, Councillor Colin Smyth said; “We welcome this consultation from the Scottish Government. Our officers and Members across the South have worked hard over the years to make the case. We need partners from across the proposed area to respond to this consultation positively. It really could make a difference to the south of Scotland.
“At the moment, Dumfries and Galloway are grouped together with the other areas in the west – which includes Glasgow and Ayrshires and Lanarkshire. Being grouped with these areas means that our rurality is sometimes ignored as the focus is on the larger cities.
“By creating a separate Southern Scotland area, it will allow us to tap into EU funding that we currently aren’t eligible for. This will mean more money into the South of Scotland and more money into Scotland overall. We can focus on key issues that affect our area and identify solutions that will help to regenerate our rural economy.”
