£2.4m City Deal funding cannot be allocated to project shortfall

Over £2 million of extra City Deal funding can't be used to help meet the soaring cost of revamping Aurs Road, council officials have said.

- DREW SANDELANDS, LOCAL DEMOCRACY REPORTER

The transformation of Aurs Road - between Barrhead and Newton Mearns - has been hit by delays, causing the estimated bill for the project to rise.

East Renfrewshire councillors have agreed to spend up to an additional £6.9m on the scheme which is now expected to be finished by next spring.

The largest contributor to the project is the Glasgow City Region City Deal, which is funded by both the UK and Scottish governments, who are providing a combined £12.7m of the committed £23.6m budget.

With final costs now expected to be at least almost £28m, Councillor Gordon Wallace (Conservative) asked whether other City Deal funding could be reallocated to the Aurs Road work.

In September last year, East Renfrewshire Council's cabinet agreed to use around £2.4m - which had been made available after the Glasgow Airport Access project was put on hold to allow a Metro scheme to be developed - on expanding the Crossmill Business Park in Barrhead.

Cllr Wallace said: "What is the scope for us to not go ahead with that £2.4m? I believe it's not to be allocated until the end of next year."