£20m of Levelling Up funding announced for Orkney

Orkney Islands Council has welcomed the announcement that the county is to receive £20m of Levelling Up funding. 

The announcement was made as part of the UK Government’s budget statement today (6 March). 

Funding has also been allocated to Arbroath and Peterhead. 

The funding comes specifically from the Levelling Up Fund’s ‘Long-Term Plan for Towns’ funding stream, which sees ten-year endowment-style funds allocated to local areas, with Boards then set up locally to make decisions on how the funds should be spent. 

The £1.1bn Levelling Up fund has previously been described by the UK Government as an opportunity to identify ways of growing the local economy and priorities for regeneration. It provides investment in projects for local people and local businesses across the country to create jobs, improve transport and provide skills training and local business support. 

Orkney Islands Council’s Leader, Councillor Heather Woodbridge, said: “This is hugely welcome news for Orkney. The Levelling Up fund has already made a tremendous difference to communities across Scotland and  it is great that Orkney will now be getting its share of that. 

“The allocation comes on the back of several years of work by elected members – past and present- and officials to fight Orkney’s corner, making the case repeatedly for funding for our islands. 

“We are awaiting further discussions with the UK Government on the finer details of the fund, but our clear aspirations are that the benefits of the fund are spread as far across Orkney as the funding conditions will allow, and that the decisions about how the fund will be spent are made with significant input from our communities, ensuring that community voice is at the heart of these discussions.”

More information on the Levelling Up Fund in Scotland is available here - https://levellingup.campaign.gov.uk/scotland/