Investment in Faslane is set to bring ‘jobs, transport, leisure and business growth opportunities’ to Scotland with an agreement signed between the UK Government, Royal Navy and local councils.
According to a Ministry of Defence press release, the Memorandum of Understanding signed will ‘see the signatories work together in delivering infrastructure and opportunities for Royal Navy families and local people to live, work and prosper together’.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon also visited Scotland this week to confirm £1.7 billion of funding for military bases. The £1.7bn includes £1.3bn for upgrades at Faslane and £400 million for a new runway and related facilities at RAF Lossiemouth which will host the P-8 maritime patrol aircraft fleet and an additional typhoon squadron.
Through its redevelopment. HMNB Clyde will grow its staff numbers from 6,800 today to an eventual population of 8,200.
The construction phases are expected to support a further 1,000 contractor jobs.
Secretary of State for Scotland David Mundell said:
“The UK’s entire submarine fleet will be based at Faslane by 2020. This will reinforce Scotland’s vital role in protecting our country, and guarantee skilled, secure jobs on the Clyde for years to come.
We must ensure this investment in the base is also a catalyst for growth and regeneration in the wider community. Today’s agreement will deliver new housing and improved infrastructure, ensuring people in Argyll and Bute benefit directly from hosting the base.”
Faslane is the second biggest single-site employer in Scotland, after the new Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow which employs around 11,000 staff.
Direct employment at the base is currently around 6,500 with many more thousands dependent on the base for jobs through the supply chain. It is understood that around 11,000 are directly and indirectly reliant on the base.
All 11 Royal Navy submarines will be based on the Clyde at Faslane from 2020, seeing the number of people directly employed at the base rising to 8,200.
Scotlands ‘share’ of Trident is around £163 million a year however the annual spend generated by the base in the local area and the wider region is estimated to be more than £270 million per year.
Minister for Defence Veterans, Reserves and Personnel Mark Lancaster, said:
“This agreement ensures the investment we are making to upgrade HMNB Clyde, as part of the £1.7bn we are spending to improve military bases in Scotland, will not only help provide our people and their families with more stability and a better environment to work in, but will also help transform the local area, providing skilled jobs and better infrastructure.”
Councillor Dick Walsh, Leader of Argyll and Bute Council and Chair of the Argyll and Bute Community Planning Partnership, said:
“This agreement is about making the development of HMNB Clyde work for Navy personnel, their families and the communities in Argyll they will be joining. It’s about delivering opportunities for new residents and local people to build happy, prosperous lives together.
Helensburgh and its surrounding areas offer great benefits as a place to live, work and visit, and we very much look forward to welcoming new Navy friends and neighbours.”
Naval Base Commander, Commodore Mark Gayfer, said:
“The Royal Navy is keen to ensure that the local community better understands what it brings to Argyll and Bute.
There are tremendous opportunities for mutual benefit, such as our redevelopment of the Drumfork Club in Helensburgh, building new sports facilities and the UK Government £5m of support for the Council’s waterfront redevelopment.”
In addition to the nuclear submarines, the base is home to 10 conventional surface vessels of the Sandown class mine countermeasure and Archer class patrol vessel fleets.
What if the SNP demands a second ‘Independence’ vote?
I hope this will force the SNP to put that bullet back into the pocket for the short to medium term if not permanently?
I was wondering exactly the same thing!
Edinburgh has had legislation for a new “indyref” ready since October and sources say it could call for a referendum as early as next month when British Prime Minister Theresa May triggers the Brexit process.How can we spend all this money on Scotland if they break away. We need to wait until this matter is settled for good. If the Scot’s vote to leave the list of ports which included Barrow in Furness Milford Haven Kings Bay in the States or LLE Longue in France To Home the Vanguard class will have to be developed and that is only one small part Ship building ie the type 31 and 26 will have to come south we cannot start building in Scotland until we know the result of the scottish vote
“We need to wait until this matter is settled for good.”
Colin, as an Independence supporter for 45 years, and seeing that a majority of under-35s already support Independence, it won’t be settled for good for decades to come if not a YES this next time. You could say it’s the same as the EU issue – that was around since the 70s.
But meanwhile Scotland pays in to defence around £3.5 billion a yerar and therefore merits defence spend in Scotland, and meanwhile also, it suits the UK’s defence to actuall spend in Scotland.
There’s QRA North for instance, with base closures and redevelopment, the only place to relocate it is about 30 miles north of QRA South without a lot of work, and indeed some CPO. Faslane as well means Devenport can be redeveloped – who know, perhaps part of the plan is to get it ready for the nukes, just in case.
Reading front pages of the papers today it looks like the SNP are surprisingly unhappy with the fact they lost the last independence referendum and want another go at it.
I think until this issue is resolved all future investment at faslane and lossiemouth unfortunately should be paused.
The SNP are stcuk on the concept of repeated referredums until they get the result they want.
A few facts for any Scottish reader.
1) Scotland’s defence is underwritten and guaranteed by uk wide defence forces. An independent Scotland will not be able to field a balanced force to deter a resurgent Russia.
2) Scotland receives more than the rest of the uk proportionally due to the barnet formulary. An independent Scotland will run up a budget deficit of 10-20% per annum leading to a Greece like debt problem within a short period of time. Unless they are going to do without free social care, free university places, free prescriptions, better public infrastructure than rest of uk, a reduced nhs capacity and service provision….the list goes on and on.
3) more Scottish people have ALREADY voted to remain in the UK then remain in the EU. Thus our uk government and prime minister is entitled to tell the SNP no they cannot have another referendum.
4) an independent Scotland will do what? Join NATO? They would likely be welcome but will have to fund their own comprehensive defence capacity. NATO is likely to be unhappy with the new country for weakening one of the main players in NATO meaning the UK.
Join the EU?- possibly but the Spanish will veto any application from Scotland as they do not want an example of a new sovereign country being admitted that was once a region of a larger country. Basque separatists.
what currency will they use? Sterling- i think not there would be 62 million English, welsh and Northern Irish objecting to that notion, it is a non starter.
without Sterling Scotland can expect to have to take loans to cover its vast budget deficit with very high interest rates.
5) The SNP play on the idea that the UK is limiting or holding back Scotland , not true as a part of the UK we want all the regions to thrive and excel.
SNP play on old hatred of the English, true England and Scotland were old enemies but that was Hundreds of years ago, we have lived in peace for over 250 years now.
Much better to stay together and face all the troubles of the world as a United Kingdom.
There is no hatred of the English in the SNP, and as for the rest it’s really off-topic and already answered. However, as far as defence of Independent Scotland is concerned there’s this paper from Novermber 2013 (will need updating) I found only recently, wish I’d found it before:
http://www.scottishglobalforum.net/uploads/2/2/6/1/22614014/stn_report.pdf
I think the annual budget of £2.5 billion for this was optimistic, more like the £3.3 billion Scotland already contributed, and also I doubt Scotland would be get cash equivalent, more like a share of current assets, but the rest is good.
And as for this: “An independent Scotland will not be able to field a balanced force to deter a resurgent Russia”
Neither could the UK, on its own, if everyone else put their hands up and said “None of our business”. It’s called NATO and Article 5. All for one, one for all.
There is hatred towards the English from sections of the SNP but its up to the Scottish people to decide their future until this matter is clear all new defence investment from the UK government must surely be put on hold.