23 July 2009
The row over the funding for a second Forth road bridge in Scotland has reignited in Parliament, with Scottish Liberal Democrat MP Willie Rennie urging ministers to allow Scotland new borrowing powers to finance it.
The Scottish Government wants to finance the £2.3bn crossing from its own budget, but has called on Westminster to allow sufficient flexibility so that the funding can be spread over 20 years, a request rejected by the Treasury.
Rennie asked: ‘When will the government come forward with real new money to help pay for this bridge?’
But Labour MP Rob Marris called on UK ministers to ‘stand firm’.
He said: ‘Scotland already gets shedloads of money under the Barnett Formula.’
UK Treasury minister Stephen Timms said funding for the crossing was a devolved matter.
The row over the funding for a second Forth road bridge in Scotland has reignited in Parliament, with Scottish Liberal Democrat MP Willie Rennie urging ministers to allow Scotland new borrowing powers to finance it.
The Scottish Government wants to finance the £2.3bn crossing from its own budget, but has called on Westminster to allow sufficient flexibility so that the funding can be spread over 20 years, a request rejected by the Treasury.
Rennie asked: ‘When will the government come forward with real new money to help pay for this bridge?’
But Labour MP Rob Marris called on UK ministers to ‘stand firm’.
He said: ‘Scotland already gets shedloads of money under the Barnett Formula.’
UK Treasury minister Stephen Timms said funding for the crossing was a devolved matter.
