The next steps to "start creating the pipeline of projects that will transform Falkirk" will be taken within days, Falkirk councillors heard as they agreed the way forward for the district's £140 million Growth Deal.
Director of Place Services, Malcolm Binnie, told members of Falkirk Council 's executive that the Growth Deal "presents a unique opportunity for this council to work with partners to create thousands of new jobs and bring millions of pounds of investment into the local area".
The Falkirk-Grangemouth Investment Zone Growth Deal has been allocated £50 million from Scottish Government and £40 million from the UK Government to add to cash from Falkirk Council and Scottish Canals.
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In December, agreement was reached with both governments to sign the Heads of Terms but more work is now needed to build business cases that will secure funding for each of the individual parts of the deal.
Mr Binnie told councillors that the council had met with partners including the UK and Scottish Governments just last month. "The feedback was positive and there was a real excitement and energy in the room," he said.
Economic development spokesperson Paul Garner said: "The Growth Deal investment by the UK and Scottish Governments will bring a massive economic boost to the local area and has the potential to create up to 2000 jobs and attract £1 billion of private sector investment. It is vital that we keep the momentum on this so we can bring that ambition to reality.
Cllr Garner stressed that the Falkirk Growth Deal is "unique in Scotland in that it is very much a partnership deal – the Council working alongside key local public sector partners like Forth Valley College and Scottish Canals as well as ambitious businesses to deliver a better Falkirk area".
He added: "It was great to hear how well the meeting with partners went last month, and how they supported the proposals put forward by the Council and were reassured by the experienced management team the Council has put in place to lead the Growth Deal."
Since the Heads of Terms were signed, the council has seen changes to senior management with a new leadership team now in place to take the growth deal forward.
On Tuesday, councillors agreed that new boards will be created that will report to either council or the council executive. The Growth Deal Board, which will be chaired by the Chief Executive, will have senior officer representatives from the Council, UK and Scottish Government representatives, key partners and businesses who are leading on projects.
Members of the Labour group argued that councillors from all three parties and an Independent member should also sit on the board.
While the Labour group leader, Councillor Anne Hannah, welcomed the report she said she was concerned that the board would make decisions and the council would simply be asked to "rubber-stamp" them.
"My concern is that if councillors are not involved at an early stage in the process we will be coming to things at the last minute," she said. "We are talking about thousands of jobs and billions of pounds and not having a seat at the table would be a mistake."
The Labour group also called for the reports to come to the full council rather than the smaller executive.
"The impact of the decisions of this board will be across the council area and it's really important that councillors from all wards will be able to scrutinise and have an input," Cllr Hannah said.
The council leader, Cecil Meiklejohn, said that any decisions made by the Growth Deal Board would be purely advisory and she stressed that all decisions will be made by a full meeting of Falkirk Council or its executive.
Senior officers, including Chief Executive Kenneth Lawrie, assured members that no financial decisions would be made by the board and that there would be plenty of opportunity for oversight and scrutiny.
After some debate, councillors agreed to officers' recommendations for the governance structure, with the clarification that any "strategic decisions" would go before councillors, as well as any financial decisions.
However, the Labour proposal to have elected members on the board was defeated by seven votes to five.
What's in the Falkirk Growth Deal?
- £21 million will help create a Central Sustainable Transport Hub to be known as ‘Falkirk Central’ at the current Falkirk Grahamston Station and an associated ‘Green Corridor’ that will connect local communities.
- £4 million will help create Scotland’s Canal Centre, bringing a derelict site in Camelon back into use offering opportunities for employment, training and recreation. It will also be the site of a relocated HQ for Scottish Canals who will contribute £5.8 million to the project.
- £3 million has been earmarked to create Scotland’s National Outdoor Art Park with work along stretches of the Forth & Clyde canal, linking key visitor attractions.
- £10 million will develop ‘strategic innovation sites’ in a bid to attract investment in areas such as chemical sciences, and industrial biotechnology.
- £10 million will contribute to a Carbon Dioxide Utilisation Centre that will capture CO2 to manufacture more sustainable products.
- £10 million towards a Bioeconomy Accelerator Pilot Plant to develop new sustainable processes using feedstocks such as food processing and whisky by-products
- An Innovation Skills Transition Centre, led by Forth Valley College will be established, with £4 million to help school pupils and young people get the right skills for local industries.
- £3 million each from the Scottish and UK Governments will support the creation of Falkirk Arts Centre. This sits alongside £45 million of capital funds the Council has committed towards delivery of its civic headquarters and arts centre project, its match funding contribution to the Investment Zone package.
