Falconer Museum representative calls for share of Moray Growth Deal for Forres

THE CHAIRMAN of a local volunteer group has called for a share of national investment into the region to re-open a five star tourist attraction in Forres.

Friends of Falconer Museum chairman Michael Rhind wants to see some of the recently agreed Moray Growth Deal - worth £100m over 10-15 years to the area - invested in Forres-local facilities, including the museum which closed its doors last October and had its £80,000 grant to the service cut by Moray Council this April.

Mr Rhind confirmed the Falconer Museum holds around 50,000 objects of national and international significance and provided educational events and activities throughout the district.

He said: "The same people who closed the Falconer Museum as they can’t fund it are happy to open up a new visitor attraction in Elgin. They plan to let Moray grow by shrinking opportunities in smaller communities.

"The money could have been split between each town and kept visitor attractions and growth in each town going for decades."

In July 2019 the Scottish and UK Governments each committed to an investment of £32.5 million in the Moray Growth Deal, a plan designed to boost inclusive economic growth across the region.

Moray Council and partners refined their proposals with feedback from the Scottish Government ahead of signing the deal with the UK Government last month.

The investments set out include: £12.7 million to boost the region’s appeal as a leading tourist and cultural destination; £4 million to provide more efficient and accessible green bus services tailored to rural needs; £2 million to help develop a centre for manufacturing and innovation; £5 million to create a minimum of 360 affordable homes and plots; £3.5 million to enable 3-8-year-olds and their parents to take part in STEM learning; and £5.3 million to create a Business and Enterprise Hub as part of Moray College UHI.

Mr Rhind said: "The full list of supported projects include two new campuses for UHI in Elgin and Lossiemouth which costs £40.6m, £31.1m for a Cultural Quarter in Elgin including refurbishment of Grant Lodge and the town hall. So between those two projects that’s already £71.7m spent of the £100m opportunity. The culture and tourism of Moray's smaller towns has been forgotten."

He added: "The Falconer Museum had one problem: a lack of funding. Now the council will spend money on creating a cultural quarter which does not suggest Moray-wide opportunity. Forres-based arts, tourism and education is being shunted to the sidelines."

Moray Council leader Graham Leadbitter pointed out that the Growth Deal is a partnership project with Moray College UHI, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the NHS and both Governments, therefore not just agreed by councillors.

He said: "Investment will happen across Moray but the important thing is the reach of the impact. As an example, the Moray Aerospace and Advanced Technology Innovation Campus will be based in Lossie but it’s benefit will be for students across the whole area.

"Several projects aimed at addressing rural challenges like the Bus Revolution and Housing Delivery Mix projects will again see investment across the region."

He added: "The funding is to deliver innovative economic growth and tackle challenges including economic diversification, retention of young people, and the particular challenges facing our local rural economies. Other work is ongoing to find innovative new ways of delivering cultural services and there are many other areas of investment that are funded entirely separately from the Growth Deal."

Local councillor Claire Feaver (Conservative) was sympathetic to Mr Rhind's points-of-view but said: "It is a shame that ward councillors like me were not really involved in the development of the Growth Deal".

She added: "The deal was designed to deliver new initiatives - it is not to cover the cost of current services which have been cut due to chronic lack of underfunding of Moray Council."

Local colleague, cllr George Alexander (Independent), highlighted the fact that, to clinch a deal for Moray to match City Deals agreed, the council had to come up with projects with which they could persuade both Governments, as well as companies from the private sector, to invest.

He said: "A list of more than 20 original ideas has been whittled down by the negotiators to about seven projects. All councillors were kept very well briefed and consulted throughout the five or so years that this deal has been in the making.

"The money awarded to Growth Deals is for capital investments which will benefit all the people of Moray and an application for money to keep a non-essential service going would have been a non-starter."