Fury as UK Government pulls the plug on vital Levelling Up funding for three Perth projects

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The withdrawal of £5million in vital funding for three landmark Perth projects was this week branded “a betrayal” by the city’s MP as the plug was officially pulled on the cash.SNP MP Pete Wishart made the comments after receiving confirmation from the UK Government that the Levelling Up money will no longer be forthcoming for the region.The raging politician also pointed out that neighbouring Dundee and Angus had their £20m awards honoured.The loss of the money – allocated by the previous Conservative Government in March 2024 – was also slammed by Perthshire Tory politicians, with Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) Tory group leader John Duff calling it “infuriating.”Perth projects set to benefit were the £3m restoration of the A-listed Lower City Mills as a tourist attraction, £1.5m to convert the vacant former foundry by Perth Museum into “The Ironworks” exhibition and workspace, and £500,000 to turn the former VisitScotland tourist information centre on Perth High Street into a shopfront for Perthshire food and drink providers.Mr Wishart had raised the issue with UK Government ministers on a number of occasions since July’s general election, including chancellor Rachel Reeves.And Scottish Secretary Ian Murray told the Perth MP in December that the money had not been cancelled, but “paused”.The SNP MP said: “For months, I have raised this with practically every minister I could think of to try to get clarity on what is happening, only to get a different response each time.“As recently as December, Ian Murray assured me in parliament that funding hadn’t been cancelled, but merely ‘paused’.“Perth and Kinross has not got a single penny from the Levelling Up fund, whilst other Scottish local authorities have got several