Including £1.2 billion announced in today’s budget, the UK Government has delivered £13.3 billion for the Scottish budget since the pandemic began.
And in exciting news for the north east, Rishi Sunak committed £34 million for the region's green recovery:
- £27 million to become a globally competitive hub for cleaner energies such as offshore wind and hydrogen as the industry diversifies
- £2 million to continue the development of the transition deal
- £5 million to the Global Underwater Hub in Aberdeen, on top of £1.3 million last year
Ahead of the UK Budget, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross wrote to Rishi Sunak and set out the Scottish Conservative’s priorities for Scotland.
We called on the Chancellor to deliver:
- Extension of the £20 per week uplift in Universal Credit
- More funding for the North Sea Transition Deal to support the North East in the transition to a low carbon economy
- Re-profiling of city deals to be delivered over 10 years instead of 15
- The creation of and funding for freeports in Scotland.
All of those asks have been met, and more:
- The furlough scheme will be extended until the end of September 2021
- There will be two further grants for the self-employed and another loan recovery scheme
- The VAT cut for hospitality and leisure businesses will be extended until the end of September 2021
- A planned increase in alcohol duty has been cancelled, as has a rise in fuel duty
Throughout the pandemic, the UK Government has taken swift and decisive action to protect nearly a million jobs and tens of thousands of businesses across Scotland – it’s time for Scotland’s government to work together to recover from the pandemic and rebuild Scotland.
The Oil and Gas Industry has welcomed the Chancellors’ Budget measures to support green energy transition
The UK oil and gas industry has welcomed some of the measures announced by the Chancellor in today’s Budget, adding that now close cooperation with the sector is essential to maximise its world-leading expertise and assure a successful green energy transition.
The leading representative body for the sector OGUK said the combination of taxation and investment measures offers a potentially strong route to transition energy and employment ahead of the much anticipated and crucial North Sea Transition Deal that we are negotiating with Government.
OGUK Chief Executive Deirdre Michie, said:
“We welcome the measures around supporting green energy innovation set out by the Chancellor in his Budget Statement today.
“We look forward to engaging with his department on the review of Research & Development tax relief, which can be a key driver of success in the field of green technology.
“The investment towards the Aberdeen Energy Transition Zone, Global Underwater Hub and Hydrogen Hub in Anglesey are encouraging starts to this country’s journey to a low-carbon future that also supports climate goals, employment and energy security.
“Central to all of this is the North Sea Transition Deal reaffirmed by the Chancellor today. Having powered the country for over 50 years, the UK’s oil and gas sector’s energy expertise is crucial to developing the green innovation required to see the UK achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
“Designed properly, the Deal should be an exciting blueprint to meeting that goal, whilst creating tens of thousands of high-quality jobs and attracting billions of pounds of investment into parts of the country that need it most. We look forward to successfully implementing it in partnership with the Government and making the UK a global hub for green energy technology.”
