Investment of almost £200m over the next decade has already been given the go-ahead as part of the Tay Cities Region Deal.

The Deal, signed in December 2020, signalled the beginning of a partnership between UK and Scottish Governments, along with public and private organisations from across Angus, Dundee, Fife, and Perth & Kinross to promote sustainable and inclusive prosperity for the region.

And the first Annual Performance Report has confirmed that £191.3m has been earmarked for one programme, one Fund, and ten projects over the next 10 years. The Deal will also help lever in a further £400m of private sector investment and deliver new projects, infrastructure and jobs.

Over the next 12 months, the Deal will deliver further progress on:

• creating new jobs and investment for the region
• business case development and approval of more Deal projects
• the refresh of the Enterprise Forum
• the completion of mapping and launch of a portal for the Clean Growth Action Plan

On behalf of the Tay Cities Partnership, current management group chair Alison Smith said: “The progress achieved by the Tay Cities Region Deal partners is outstanding; it’s thanks to everyone’s collaboration, hard work and drive that the projects have moved forward at such pace. All of the efforts have resulted in positive impacts on the local economy and creating new opportunities at a time of unprecedented need.

“As we look to the year ahead, we will continue to build back better from the pandemic. We look forward to continue working collaboratively together to deliver a diverse range of work, and watch as our projects and programmes come to life across Angus, Dundee, Fife and Perth & Kinross.”

Scottish Enterprise is one of the main delivery partners of the Tay Cities Region Deal.

Rhona Allison, interim managing director of business growth at Scottish Enterprise, said: “The team working to deliver the Deal has really hit the ground running by signing off the spending of almost two thirds of the allocated government budgets to get projects underway.

“This means the communities of Dundee, Angus, Perth & Kinross and Fife will be able to see the tangible benefits of the Deal, including jobs, improved infrastructure and the ability for the region to become a global player in a number of sectors from cyber security to life sciences.”