Five regions in Scotland will share £140 million from the Local Growth Fund, the government has announced.
Aimed at driving economic growth through projects such as infrastructure investment, business support and skills development, the regions’ allocations over the next three years are:
- Glasgow City: £60.9 million
- Edinburgh and South East: £37.8 million
- Tay Cities: £19.5 million
- Ayrshire: £11.8 million
- Forth Valley Region: £9.8 million
The government said the funding is being invested in the areas with the lowest real disposable household income (RDHI) per capita.
Scotland secretary Douglas Alexander said:
“This new investment will allow local leaders to decide how best to use the funding, which could include projects to improve infrastructure, business support or skills development. The UK government will now work with local partners to develop investment plans tailored to each region.
“By investing in local areas, reducing child poverty, and bringing down inflation, the UK government is focused on delivering material change to people across the country – boosting living standards and improving public services.”
The Local Growth Fund is part of around £2 billion the government is providing over 10 years for local and regional economic growth. It comes ahead of the ending of the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UK SPF) from April 2026.
Last month, the County Councils Network warned that councils across the UK face a “cliff edge” for economic growth funding which could impact their ability to support small businesses.
It said several areas will receive nothing from the new funds which means they will have to close business support programmes.