To ask the Scottish Executive what limitations will be attached to the £40.1 million allocated to Glasgow under the City Growth Fund.

As specified in guidance made available on 9 January 2003 to accompany the reports of the Review of Scotland’s Cities , release of cities’ allocations from the City Growth Fund will be dependent on satisfactory outputs from the proposed City Vision exercises and a brief but clear submission to the Scottish Executive outlining how the money will be spent and what outcomes will be delivered.

Authorities' submissions to the Scottish Executive concerning the use of the City Growth Fund will be expected to include:

a list of projects or service outcomes the funds are intended to buy; notional expenditure on each of these, with appropriate value-for-money considerations; target dates for delivery; identification of other sources of funds levered in to the projects; consideration of any potential State Aids or other issues impacting on the use of the funds; consultation with community planning partners and the business community in the city, and output of consultation with authorities and business interests in the city region.

It is anticipated that local stakeholders will work to ensure that activities supported by the City Growth Fund and other funds administered by the Scottish Executive, for example the Quality of Life funds, should be mutually reinforcing where possible. The Scottish Executive recognises that many of the projects involved are likely to have long lead-in times and potentially to face other administrative requirements. Therefore, it is accepted that initial submissions will in some respects be provisional.

Authorities will also be expected to provide a brief annual report on those activities supported by the fund, and a final report after three years, detailing the outcomes achieved as a result of support by the fund. The Scottish Executive will write to the local authorities concerned in the next few weeks, to confirm these requirements.