A COUNCIL leader has written to the Scottish Secretary urging him to confirm an area will receive the Levelling Up cash it was promised.
The Drumchapel area in Glasgow was to be allocated £15 million cash from the UK Government fund to help build new housing and improve public spaces in the area.
But speculation the fund could be cut and some projects axed has led to fears in the area that the much-needed investment may not materialise.
Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken (below) has asked Ian Murray, the new Scottish Secretary, to visit Drumchapel and see how the cash would benefit the people.
In a letter she wrote: “Drumchapel is a community that has had to wait for too long for a regenerative investment of this scale, which is why it was identified by Glasgow City Council as one of our priorities for Levelling Up.
“Glasgow City Council has committed a further £1.7m to supplement the Levelling Up funds.”
Aitken said the preparations were well underway and work was due to start in the spring.
She added: “The removal or even delay of this investment would be a huge setback for Drumchapel, a community that has already experienced too many such in its history.
“I urge you to confirm as soon as possible that Drumchapel will receive this promised investment so that works can continue as planned, and I’d also like to extend an invitation to you to visit Drumchapel town centre to see for yourself the scale of transformation that this funding is intended to deliver.”
Murray (below) had sparked the concerns that cash could be axed when asked about the funds by journalists.
He said: “So everything is under review, yes, because a lot of the stuff that was promised didn't have any cash attached to it.”
A UK Government source said: “Due to the absolutely dire state in which the Tories left the public finances, a decision on funding will be made following the Spending Review process.
“The UK Labour government inherited a £22 billion black hole in this year's accounts.
"The Tories had spent the Treasury reserves three times over by July.
“18 months after crashing the economy with unfunded spending plans, the Tories were ready to do it all over again.
"That’s why this Labour government is taking the tough but necessary decisions to get the books in order, after the mess the Tories made.
“This is about being honest with people and being respectful of taxpayers' money, not making promises we can’t keep.”
