12th
September 2007
Ministers’ Dithering Putting Vital
Projects at Risk
Vital community projects are under
threat because of Ministers’ dithering, MSP for Greenock and Inverclyde,
Duncan McNeil, has warned.
The
crisis, which has been sparked by confusion over the future of the Community
Regeneration Fund, is already forcing important projects in Inverclyde to
prepare to issue redundancy notices to staff.
Mr
McNeil warned of such a scenario when he questioned the Cabinet Secretary for
Health and Wellbeing, Nicola Sturgeon, at a meeting of the Local Government and
Communities on 27th June this year.
But he was assured by the Minister that:
“I
give a commitment that we will take decisions quickly to provide certainty and
clarity to people who are working hard on the ground. Obviously, I want services to continue and I want to ensure
that the services that are delivering for people in the most deprived
communities have that certainty as soon as possible.”
Mr
McNeil said the Minister must now make good on this promise before it was too
late:
“This
money pays for vital projects in our community and allows the levering in of
substantial additional funding from the EU,” he said today.
“I therefore specifically questioned the Minister when she appeared
before the Committee back in June about securing the future of projects funded
by the Community Regeneration Fund.
“She
assured me that all was well and a quick decision would be made.
But, I have been contacted by a series of important local community
organisations who, while the Minister and her government continue to dither, are
being forced to commence redundancy proceedings.
Not only does this imperil valuable, effective community projects, the
sector will lose talented, dedicated staff who, faced with an uncertain future,
will seek alternative employment.
“I
have therefore made urgent representations to the Minister, demanding an
assurance that this important work in my constituency will not be undermined by
her bureaucratic delays and that, should there be a gap between funding
agreements, transitional funding will be made available to ensure a continuity
of service.”
ENDS
The relevant extract from the Official Report of the Local Government and Communities Committee’s meeting on 27th June 2007 is online here.
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