Frustration continues to grow among politicians and councillors concerned with the future of two military bases in the Highlands and Moray.
Highland Council leader Margaret Davidson met with Veterans Minister Keith Brown and the Moray Economic Partnership yesterday to discuss their concerns over the threat to Fort George and Kinloss.
Communities at these bases are having to anxiously await the verdict of a Ministry of Defence (MoD) budget review, which is feared could see one of them close.
Yesterday after the meeting Mr Brown, who on Monday sent an angry letter to Westminster, said the lack of consultation with those communities was “disrespectful”.
He made the point in his letter to Defence Minister Mark Lancaster that it has been more than two months since First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wrote to oppose any cuts in defence establishments or personnel in Scotland.
Following yesterday’s meeting Mr Brown added: “The Local Communities here in the North of Scotland have close bonds with the military. Highland Council and Moray Economic Partnership are rightly concerned about the risk of the MOD closing Fort George and Kinloss Barracks which would have significant impacts on local jobs, schools and other infrastructure.
“I find it wholly unacceptable that Mr Lancaster has been unable to find the time to meet with me to discuss the MoD’s latest basing review, despite repeated efforts by my office to arrange the meeting. I’ve not even been sent basic information about the Scottish sites or unit moves that are being considered in the review. It is disappointing too that some local authorities and the Moray Economic Partnership have had meeting requests turned down.”
Mrs Davidson, who headed a Highland delegation which earlier this month met with Defence Minsiter Mark Lancaster, said: “I know I had a meeting in London but they have not followed it up by coming to talk to us about any of the issues we’ve raised.
“We are frustrated on behalf of the servicemen and women because there is huge uncertainty here. We have to be able to plan for the future. When I think about it I can not see it makes any economic sense for the UK Government to do this, but until they fill the vacuum of information we are feeling anxious.”
Moray Council leader Stewart Cree said that three years ago, after the local authority helped fight to keep Kinloss barracks open as an Army base, he felt an “air of positivity with people looking forward to setting up in Moray,” but that now he felt a huge amount of “uncertainty”.