Comhairle’s disappointment at LUF Bid rejection
The UK Government has rejected Comhairle nan Eilean Siar’s £68m bid for Levelling Up Funds.
The Comhairle had submitted two bids under the LUF scheme: the ‘Eilean Siar Cultural Heritage and Regeneration Project valued at £18m, and the £50m “Eilean Siar Spinal Route and Connecting Infrastructure project.
Comhairle Leader Paul Steele said: “The Comhairle and the people of the Western Isles have been let down by this decision. Our Islands are one of the most peripheral and economically challenged parts of the UK – exactly the type of area that should be benefitting from this funding scheme.
“This will be hugely disappointing for businesses and community organisations across the Outer Hebrides who worked closely with the Comhairle in developing the LUF bid.
“This decision raises significant questions about UK Government’s approach to post-EU structural funds, and I will be writing to the Secretary of State to make that point and to seek engagement around the Government’s approach to island and peripheral communities.
”Although hugely disappointed by the outcome, the Comhairle will engage with the UK Government to see how a subsequent bid to Round 3 can best be developed.”
Alasdair Allan MSP described the Government’s rejection as a ‘slap in the face, saying: “The Western Isles – and the Highlands and Islands in general – gained enormous and lasting benefits from EU Funding. The evidence of that is clear for all to see in the form of causeways, roads and other vital infrastructure.
“Given our location and issues with depopulation, the Western Isles should be top of the list. Instead, we find ourselves overlooked and short-changed.’
UK Shared Prosperity Funds success
The Comhairle has had a more successful outcome to its application to the UK Shared Prosperity Funds, which has awarded a £2.2m to be invested locally over the next three years.
Cllr Donald Crichton, Chair of the Comhairle’s Sustainable Development Committee, said projects to be implemented from the fund range from support to low income households, support for young enterprise and support for skills development.
Loch Carnan development gets the go-ahead through new funding deal
Two Western Isles projects are set to benefit from the latest round of allocations form Scottish Government Regeneration Capital Grant funding.
The abandoned and derelict shed at Loch Carnan will be renovated this year with a £150k investment form the Fund.
The shed has been empty for many years and the site has become a dumping ground for abandoned cars and unwanted rubbish. Under the new plans, the dilapidated building will be demolished and a large commercial unit erected in its place.
The project is being delivered by Storas Uibhist, with work scheduled to start in the spring and to complete this year.
A formal process to allow local businesses to tender for the lease will start in due course.
A further £2m allocation from the same fund has been awarded to the Calanais 2025 project in Lewis.
Cllr Paul Steele, Comhairle Leader, said: “This is great news for the Western Isles – two regeneration projects that have had a lot of community input over the years have succeeded in attracting significant funding which will now accelerate their development.”
