Request for meeting to discuss railway funding

In July, Angus Council chiefs asked councillors to reject Brechin Caledonian Railway’s bid for £18 million in UK Government ‘levelling up’ cash because it was argued there was too much financial risk to the local authority.

The heritage railway planned to combine 15 projects which organisers envisaged would bring Angus £20m in tourism proceeds over five years. Despite the volunteer-run attraction resubmitting a pared-down bid, Provost Brian Boyd refused to discuss its £9.6m alternative.

After the meeting, local councillor Chris Beattie said that the local authority was liaising with the Caledonian Railway to identify alternative funding sources. He also said that the debate had not gone ahead as there was no material change from the original proposal.

North East region MSP Liam Kerr has now written to transport minister Jenny Gilruth, SNP colleagues and council chief executive Margo Williamson to identify alternative funding to “get the job done”.

He said: "Having watched the meeting of the full council last month, and engaged with the volunteer railway, it is clear the majority of councillors wanted this to go ahead.

"But many of them had little concept of what the bid was for, what the Levelling Up Fund is, or just how much expertise was behind the bid.

“There was a pot of around £150,000 which could have been spent on a professional bid writer, if the council did not have the time and resources to research it themselves.

"I also ask Jenny, as transport minister, to join me and councillors on a site visit as soon as possible, in light of the productive meeting that we had when you accepted my invitation to Dyce to hear about proposals for a Buchan railway. Failing this – and recording that Angus is the only mainland local authority to have a bid proposed without acting on it – it is surely incumbent on elected members to present more opportunities to get the job done at Caledonian Railway.”