Thursday August 29th 2024
The UK Government is “dragging their heels” over funding needed for pushing ahead with a vital Borders Rail extension appointment, members of full council were informed today.
Scottish Borders Council has agreed the three-year appointment at the cost of £220k of a senior project manager tasked with pushing ahead with the proposed extension from Tweedbank to Carlisle.
The successful candidate will lead the delivery of the business case and feasibility work associated with the extension of the railway line, which it is proposed would also pass through Hawick.
Both the UK and Scottish Governments have previously agreed this appointment could be funded equally between the Department for Transport (DfT) and the Scottish Government as part of the commitment already made by ministers to jointly invest up to £10 million in the delivery of the Borders Railway extension feasibility work via the Borderlands Inclusive Growth Deal.
Scottish Government has already allocated its £110,00 contribution towards the £220k post – but the UK Government is yet to do the same.
And amid fears that the Westminster government was “dragging their heels”, Councillor Euan Jardine, the leader of SBC, is to write to ministers requesting the funding is forthcoming urgently.
Councillor Scott Hamilton, the deputy leader council leader, said: “This is a landmark project and we have to get moving with it.
“We have waited a year since submitting this request. We have heard from the Scottish government, we are still to hear from Westminster and that leads us to this position here today.
“It does represent a risk in going ahead with it (without all the funding in place) but if we delay any further we simply are not going to get any traction with this project and we need to get moving.
“There is commitment from Westminster, there is commitment from the Scottish Government and we need to hold them to account.
“The question is how to be communicate this decision here today to Westminster, how do we show them that we are committed to this project and if they want to continue with dragging their heels where can we put the pressure on.”
Marion Short, chair of the Campaign for Borders Rail, described the decision as “positive and pro-active”.
She said: “The campaign is delighted to hear about this initiative from Scottish Borders Council.
“We see it as a very pro-active and positive decision and it shows in my mind that the Borders as a whole are then seen to be behind this, and we never talk about extending the Borders Rail, we talk about completion of the Borders Rail, from the temporary terminus at Tweedbank right through Hawick, where I live, and onto Carlisle.”
The original 98-mile (158km) Waverley Route between Edinburgh and Carlisle closed in 1969 as part of the Beeching cuts to the UK rail network.
A 30-mile (48km) section, between Edinburgh Waverley and Tweedbank, reopened in September 2015, at a cost of £294m.
Approval was also agreed to set up the first meeting of a council Cross Party Working Group to oversee this work once the appointment is under-way, and to arrange a meeting with the Borders Railway Reference Group to keep stakeholders informed of progress.
A report to full council, approved by Jenni Craig, SBC’s director for Resilient Communities, says go-ahead of the appointment was “essential” for the successful delivery of “this complex and high-profile project”.
She adds: “A role description and request for an initial draw-down of £220k to fund the senior project manager role was submitted to UK and Scottish Governments in August 2023, supported by input from officials from both Transport Scotland and Department for Transport.
“Agreement has been reached to fund a senior project manager from the £10m funding commitment within the Borderland Inclusive Growth Deal to oversee the development of the business case for the extension of the Borders Railway and coordinate the team of internal and external professionals who will deliver this work.
“Approval to proceed was received by Scottish Government in June 2024. Approval is still awaited from UK Government Ministers, and time-scales currently remain unclear.
“It is planned this role will cover a three-year period at a cost of £220,000, funded 50/50 by the Scottish and UK Governments. The procurement of the senior project manager will progress using the £110,000 available to draw down from Scottish Government until the full allocation is confirmed by UK Government.”
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