European Structural and Investment Funds

What comes next?

March 5, 2020 by Patrick Douglas No Comments | Category Replacement funding

As we move towards the end of the current 2014-2020 European Structural and Investment Funds programmes, Scottish Government Ministers, officials and stakeholders are considering what will replace them.

The Future Funding team was established in September 2019 to examine this issue, specifically how the UK Government’s proposed Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) might work in Scotland. No detail has been provided yet on the SPF’s scale, objectives or value. To develop our own thinking, the Future Funding team has led a consultation to gather stakeholders’ views on how any replacement funding can best meet the needs of Scotland’s citizens, businesses and communities.

The consultation was overseen by an independent steering group chaired by Professor David Bell from the University of Stirling, and ran from 5 November 2019 to 12 February 2020, attracting an enthusiastic response. 155 written submissions were received from a wide range of stakeholders, and almost 200 people took part in a series of eight workshops (pictured above) held across Scotland, from Dumfries & Galloway to the Northern Isles.

Karen McAvenue, Future Funding team leader, said: “We are delighted with the level of engagement the consultation attracted. But that was the easy part and only the first stage in developing a uniquely Scottish take on the deployment of any successor funding. The consultation report will be available in the Spring, and will underpin policy development going forward. Whilst we can’t say what this will look like just yet, what I can say is that we will continue to engage with stakeholders in developing our thinking.”

If you’re interested in post-Brexit replacement funding in Scotland, remember to keep checking this blog for updates on its development.

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