A row over the behind-the-scenes negotiations which led to the Aberdeen City Region deal took a fresh twist last night when the Scottish Government revealed no confidentiality agreement was ever signed.
Fraserburgh councillor Ian Tait sparked angry scenes at a budget meeting last week when he demanded that details of the negotiations with Aberdeen City Council, the Scottish Government and Westminster were released.
The local authority’s chief executive, legal chief and two co-leaders all claimed that details of the deal were legally confidential.
But now, the government has revealed no agreement was signed, and that it was up to councils whether the details were disclosed.
A Holyrood spokeswoman said: “There is no confidentiality agreement in place. City deals are a result of negotiations between city region partners and government and it is for the regional partners to determine how best to conduct their part in that negotiation.
“The published heads of terms agreement, which was signed by both governments and both councils on January 28, sets out the areas where the deal will focus: innovation, digital, transport and support for the new Aberdeen harbour.”
Both Scottish and UK governments are committed to jointly investing up to £250million on projects in the region over the next 10 years.
The Holyrood administration has earmarked a further £254 million to improve transport and digital connectivity as well as local housing.
Aberdeen City Council members have already been shown details of the deal, leading to claims by Mr Tait that he and his colleagues were being treated like “second-class councillors”.
His concern is that projects in Aberdeenshire could miss out on funding if councillors are kept in the dark an.
The revelation from the Scottish Government came in response to an open letter penned by Mr Tait that was sent to both First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Chancellor George Osborne.
In his letter, entitled “unwarranted secrecy”, the Fraserburgh and District councillor had called for clarification on whether or not the details were confidential.