The 10 locations in Scotland that will get up to £20m each from UK government to regenerate communities

The UK government has announced £200 million to tackle deprivation in Scottish communities, earmarked for reviving high streets, community hubs and public services.

As part of the Plan for Neighbourhoods, a total of 75 areas across the UK will each receive up to £20 million of funding and support over the next decade through the plan, with ministers vowing it will help transform “left behind” areas by unleashing their full potential by investing in delivering improved vital community services from education, health and employment, to tackling local issues like crime.

In Scotland areas due to receive up to £20 million funding each through the plan are Arbroath, Elgin, Orkney, Peterhead, Dumfries, Irvine, Kilmarnock, Clydebank, Coatbridge and Greenock.

A government spokesperson said each area will decide how to spend the money, from options ranging from repairs to pavements and high streets, to setting up low-cost community grocers providing low-cost alternatives when shopping for essentials, as well as co-operatives or neighbourhood watches.

Ian Murray, Secretary of State for Scotland, said: “The UK Government is getting on with delivering our Plan for Change with investment and reform to turbocharge growth and put more money in people’s pockets – and our Plan for Neighbourhoods is a crucial part of that.

“With this £200 million investment into 10 of Scotland’s towns, local communities will be at the beating heart of helping us to deliver a decade of national renewal and opportunity for all across Scotland.

Scottish Secretary Ian Murray, photographed inside a rescue submersible on a visit to the Renfrew site of defence contractor JFD Global on Monday, hailed the announcement as good news for communities across Scotland | PA

“In towns across Scotland, from Kirkwall to Kilmarnock, local people and businesses will decide how the funding should be used to transform where they live, work and play - creating jobs, improving high streets, providing better public services and saving community hubs. It is part of £1.4 billion worth of direct funding the UK Government is delivering in Scotland over the next decade, alongside the largest budget settlement in the history of devolution.

“In this new era of partnership working as part of our ongoing resetting of relations we will continue to respect the devolution settlement and strengthen collaboration with the Scottish Government and local partners to ensure this investment has maximum transformational impact on communities.”

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: “For years, too many neighbourhoods have been starved of investment, despite their potential to thrive and grow. Communities across the UK have so much to offer – rich cultural capital, unique heritage but most of all, an understanding of their own neighbourhood.

“We will do things differently, our fully funded Plan for Neighbourhoods puts local people in the driving seat of their potential, having control of where the Whitehall cash goes – what issues they want to tackle, where they want to regenerate and what growth they want turbocharge.”

However the Scottish Government accused the UK government of bypassing ministers at Holyrood.

A spokesperson said: “While it is welcome this commitment made by the previous UK Government to 10 towns in Scotland has been honoured, we have been clear the funding would have greater impact if invested through the Scottish Government’s well established mechanisms.

“This funding was formerly known as the Long Term Plan for Towns programme under the previous UK Government - of which some work is already under way. We will continue to work to ensure it meets Scotland’s needs.”