City centres and regions to get £4m to aid Covid-19 recovery

Two new funds totalling £4m to help city centres and regions recover from Covid-19 have been announced by the Scottish Government.

City local authorities in Scotland have been invited to submit a proposal to aid its recovery from the pandemic for a share of the £2m City Centres Recovery Fund.

Applications for funding to help businesses apply for outdoor trading areas in Glasgow and for the repurposing of empty buildings in Dundee city centre are among those already received, the Scottish Government has said.

A further £2m will also be available through the Regional Recovery Fund, which aims to maximise local job creation and accelerate the fulfilment of city and regional growth deals, which have been signed across the country.

The funds were announced by Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop ahead of the first meeting of the city centre recovery task force, set up to inform government policy as restrictions as a result of the pandemic are eased.

Hyslop said: “There is no denying the severe impact this pandemic has had, and continues to have, on our cities and regions.

“We recognise the sacrifices everyone has made to support our collective effort to get the virus under control and for that we are incredibly grateful.

“We know the pandemic has had differing impacts across Scotland, and this targeted support allows each local authority to put forward tailored proposals that meet their unique needs and support economic recovery.

“We have already provided £1.2bn in economic recovery initiatives over the last year and the recently passed Scottish budget sets out even more recovery measures to support the economy in the next year.

“Our city centre recovery taskforce will develop a shared vision for the future of Scotland’s city centres, with a focus on innovative actions to help them prosper over the next five years, in a way that encourages inclusive and sustainable growth.”