Tay Cities Deal - Full Terms

The Tay Cities partnership comprises Angus, Dundee City, Fife, and Perth and Kinross councils; the Higher Education and Further Education sector; the business sector; the region’s third sector interface bodies; and Scottish Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland. Sharing the banks of the River Tay, they have a long history of collaboration to build on.

Heads of Terms for the Tay Cities Region Deal were signed in November 2018, long before the outbreak of covid-19. The pandemic has had a profound and unprecedented impact on societies across the world and has inevitably changed the circumstances in which the Tay Cities Region Deal will be delivered. However, the economic consequences of covid-19 only increase the importance of the investment the Deal will unlock to ensuring the Tay Cities region can continue to grow and prosper in the medium to long term. All partners remain fully committed to delivering the Deal and ensuring its economic impacts are maximised.

On signing the Full Deal in December 2020, the future development of the pandemic - and government responses to it – remain unknown. All projects and programmes delivered through this Deal will be required to take account of covid-19 when developing their business cases, ensuring all investments remain relevant and sustainable.

However, the partnership is clear that the uncertainty created by the pandemic cannot be allowed to stop the Deal progressing. Difficult decisions will be required in uncertain circumstances, but it is imperative that investment in our regional economy continues and that confidence is maintained in our ability to overcome present challenges and drive sustainable economic growth long into the future.

The Scottish Government and the UK Government will each invest up to £150M in the Tay Cities Region Deal (the Deal). This investment has the potential to secure over 6,000 quality jobs and lever in £400M of investment over 15 years. It will enable the region to:

• Empower and promote inclusion. By ensuring that local people have the skills they need to succeed in the modern workplace and that growth is inclusive.
• Innovate and internationalise. By developing globally recognised clusters of academic and business excellence.
• Connect. By improving physical and digital infrastructure.

The Deal will further energise activity to deliver improved outcomes for the region’s people, places, businesses, and communities.

The Deal will catalyse inclusive economic growth across the region. The partnership is future focused, with a clear understanding of the action needed to deliver sustainable economic growth. It is about partnership and effective collaboration, as well as new resources.

About the Tay Cities Deal area

More than 490,000 people, or about 10% of the country’s population, live in the area covered by the Tay Cities Deal. It includes the cities of Dundee and Perth as well as Angus and the north part of Fife.

Evidence clearly shows that there is room for economic growth in the Tay Cities area. The deal would develop key industry sectors, tackle entrenched inequalities and increase employment to meet current and future demand.

More targeted investment in infrastructure and initiatives focused on the devolvement/delegation of powers and budgets would increase productivity and reduce inequality.

A Cities Deal is not something the public sector can do on its own. The private sector has an important role to play, and this has been recognised fully from the start, through detailed engagement with both the private and voluntary sectors. A wide-ranging consultation with businesses and key stakeholders is also on going as part of shaping the final proposal.

The Tay Cities Deal is specifically designed to build on our strengths and address our challenges, and involves ensuring that decision-making powers are held at the level where they will best support the regional economy by upskilling our workforce and infrastructure.