£2.2M from Climate Challenge Fund, to back 33 projects

The Scottish Green Party and the Scottish Government are today announcing £2.2m of funding (1) to projects across Scotland through the Climate Challenge Fund. This money will support thirty-three diverse projects across Scotland, (2) and forms the fourth round of schemes to be backed by the Fund since it was established in the summer of 2008.

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

“In these difficult economic times, it’s great to see the Climate Challenge Fund backing projects to reduce Scotland’s carbon emissions, cut people’s bills and support local jobs. Some would have us believe our communities have to choose between strong local economies and a clean environment. As these schemes illustrate, the two must go hand in hand.

“From Aberdeen to Ayrshire and Assynt, meeting in school halls, youth clubs and churches, people have come up with diverse and imaginative ideas to reduce their carbon footprint. These are our true pioneers and innovators, and their communities will be best placed both to weather the storms around us and to help Scotland make a responsible contribution to global efforts to tackle climate change.”

Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, John Swinney, said:

“Climate change is undoubtedly one of the most serious threats we face globally and locally. It’s therefore very heartening to see that the public want to play their part in helping ensure a cleaner, greener Scotland for future generations.”

Notes

1. The fund is a joint project between the Greens and Scottish Ministers, and will distribute £27.4m in funding up to 2011. The fund was established through the 2008 budget, and is designed to support innovative and locally-led projects to cut carbon emissions and build sustainable communities. For more information, see http://www.climatechallengefund.org

2. For a map of all Climate Challenge Fund projects funded so far, and details of their funding and project plans, please see: http://tinyurl.com/6m756f

Maxing out the nation’s credit card

GREEN MSP MEDIA RELEASE

For immediate release 1 April 2009

GREENS ARGUE AGAINST “MAXING OUT THE NATION’S CREDIT CARD”

Speaking in today’s debate on the financing of public projects, the Scottish Greens challenged the consensus on the approach to funding public projects. The party also issued a challenge to the Scottish Government’s overall transport priorities, especially in the light of threats by Ministers to pull money from public transport to pay for an additional road bridge across the Forth. (1)

Patrick Harvie MSP said:

“The debate over the financing of public projects asks the wrong question and comes to an absurd answer. The other parties are stuck in the past, squabbling over two almost indistinguishable funding models. Labour and the Tories continue to argue for the expensive and discredited PFI/PPP approach, while what remains of the SNP’s Scottish Futures Trust is, as John Swinney has admitted, part of the same family. (2)

“Both approaches are accounting fiddles, dishonest ways to shift the brunt of today’s spending decisions onto tomorrow’s Scottish budgets. Conventional funding would be more responsible and more transparent, but it’s less fun for the other parties who seem hell-bent on finding any opportunity for a London versus Edinburgh blamestorming session.

“There has never been greater uncertainty about the future of Scotland’s devolved finances, and this is therefore the worst possible time for Ministers to be maxing out the nation’s credit card on unnecessary vanity projects like the additional Forth Road Bridge, the M74 and the Aberdeen Western Peripheral. These schemes make great press releases and photocalls for ambitious Ministers, but the price we will all pay for them is too high, especially now SNP Ministers are using arguments over the Forth Bridge to hold public transport projects to ransom.”

Notes

1. For the threat to other projects, see:

http://www.cnplus.co.uk/news/forth-bridge-could-delay-other-projects/1957849.article

2. John Swinney, Finance Committee, 27 May 2007:
“The NPD models are part of the family of public-private partnerships, but PPP is a generic family term for all such approaches.”
See: http://tinyurl.com/5m8r4v