Hewitt was commenting in support of a report published by last week by the Centre for Public Policy for Regions (CPPR), the Strathclyde and Glasgow University-affiliated think tank which advocates “maintaining and developing Scotland’s infrastructure spend” threatened by the ring-fencing of other spending areas such as health.
The report said that in response to the UK Government spending review, Scotland must clearly set out its priorities to ensure capital spending “is not cut to an inappropriate degree”.
Hewitt told the Sunday Herald: “CPPR are spot on here. Jo Armstrong [the report’s lead author] was a very keen observer of funding and spending opportunities as they really are. In this report CPPR have accurately reflected our long-term campaign, Time for Renewal.
“If the Scottish Government sets its face against private sector involvement (an exclusion which has never been recommended by Scottish Future Trust) then we will be cutting off our nose to spite our face.”
Hewitt continued: “Infrastructure investment is the biggest single tool we have to kick-start the economy again. A successful construction sector is vital to economic renewal. We have to find ways to amortise expenditure.
“Big costs like the Forth Bridge become much smaller if we see expenditure spread across the lifetime of the project – which is what any business would do.”
The Scottish Government’s perceived failure to set out a clearly prioritised, coherent and transformative programme of public infrastructure spending has long been a bone of contention with business organisations, which place improved transport links at or near the top of their desired interventions by government.
Hewitt said: “Given that we are heading for a Holyrood election, isn’t it time we had some real attempts to stand up and be counted and an acceleration of useful contributions to recovery?”
