McMillan Meets with Cabinet Secretary for Finance Over Riverside Inverclyde (RI) Funding

SNP MSP Stuart McMillan has today (Thursday) met with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, John Swinney MSP, to discuss the implications of the budget proposals for Riverside Inverclyde.
Mr McMillan has been lobbying in both committee and in private to secure additional funding for Riverside Inverclyde. Mr McMillan has within the past few weeks raised the issue directly to both the Chief Executive and Chair of Scottish Enterprise, and wrote to both John Swinney and Communities Minister Alex Neil MSP alongside discussing the matter at a meeting with Parliamentary Business Manager Bruce Crawford MSP.

Speaking after the meeting Mr. McMillan said:

It was important to meet with the Cabinet Secretary to put forward the case for Riverside Inverclyde in the strongest terms.

"After questioning John Swinney in committee yesterday and speaking to him today, the Cabinet Secretary is fully aware of the importance of RI to Inverclyde’s future.

"We had a productive meeting and I appreciate that Mr. Swinney is fully aware of the economic circumstances Inverclyde has been left in due to 20 odd years of dereliction as identified by Alf Young.

"I fully appreciate the difficult economic situation the Cabinet Secretary for Finance finds himself in, as a result of the £1.3bn of cuts from the Tory/ Lib Dem Coalition Government and the financial shambles of the UK public finances created by Labour.

"Nevertheless, I wanted to take the case to the Cabinet Secretary in support of Riverside Inverclyde and as always will be positive about Inverclyde and everything that we have to offer."