McLeod welcomes decision on European Statistical Boundaries

SNP MSP for the South of Scotland Aileen McLeod today (Friday) welcomed the announcement by the Scottish Government’s Chief Statistician Roger Halliday that he has proposed creating a new European statistical region for the South of Scotland.

 

The move would see Dumfries and Galloway, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire and East, South and North Ayrshire together forming the South of Scotland region, allowing for a sharper focus on the specific issues and challenges which face the rural south. This would mean Scotland would have five Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics (NUTS) Areas, rather than four.

 

Aileen said:

 

“I warmly welcome the decision to propose this new statistical region to EUROSTAT, the European statistical body, for final decision. The reason this is so important is that a new south of Scotland statistical area, which is able to better reflect the specific issues and challenges the region faces.

 

“Importantly these changes will be crucial in securing future funding from the EU to support economic development and invest in the region’s infrastructure. This is an important step towards the south of Scotland gaining wider recognition at European level that this region is unique and will benefit from a specific and tailored approach to future EU funding.”