Reshaping Capital Spending Plans

A major programme of investment activity has been put in place. Some £35 billion will be invested over the next 10 years on projects such as the M74 extension, Glasgow's Southern General Hospital and school estates across Scotland. The Scottish Government is also exploring opportunities to bring forward spend wherever possible, working with partners in local government, public bodies and the third sector.

  • The Budget for 2009-10 accelerates £293 million of capital spending into 2009-10, on top of £30 million in 2008-09. In total, this accelerated investment will support over 5,000 jobs in the Scottish economy over the next year. Of this:
  • Local authorities are investing £90 million to accelerate a range of capital spending programmes spread across Scotland. These include new and refurbished schools, social work facilities, new recreational facilities and key infrastructure projects necessary to support the economy and community development.
  • Colleges and universities are benefiting from £13 million of extra infrastructure improvements.
  • We are investing £29 million to deliver road improvements and enhanced park-and-ride facilities to cut congestion.
  • Scottish Enterprise is accelerating £30 million of investment in key projects which will deliver wider benefits to the economies of Glasgow, Edinburgh and other areas including investment in the Edinburgh Bio-Quarter, the SECC in Glasgow and Fife Energy Park.
  • We are accelerating the supply of affordable housing by bringing forward £120 million of our planned spending from 2010-11 for the Affordable Housing Investment Programme, in conjunction with local government, to help support the house-building industry. A record £644 million will be invested in affordable housing over the next 12 months.
  • Through the Scottish Futures Trust, we are fast-tracking the Hub Initiative, which will deliver improved local community-based infrastructure in support of the delivery of local health services across Scotland, as well as supporting local authorities' school investment programmes. In the coming months we are providing £2.8 million to take forward the Hub Initiative in pathfinder areas of the country.
  • We are providing over £35 million to the Home Owners Support Fund, helping home owners in financial difficulty through a revised Mortgage to Rent scheme and the new Mortgage to Shared Equity scheme, which was open to applications from 16 March. In association with COSLA, we have also been assessing bids for the £25 million to local government to kick-start a new generation of council house building. The successful bids will be announced shortly.

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Page updated: Wednesday, March 18, 2009