CITY deals for Tayside, Stirling and the Borders were among the measures unveiled in the Chancellor’s Budget yesterday.

The city deal policy was originally announced by the UK Government in December 2011, as part of its Unlocking Growth in Cities White Paper and in Scotland they see the Scottish Government, UK Government and local authorities combine to invest in areas in projects to boost the economy.

The first wave of City Deals, launched in July 2012, covered the eight largest cities in England outside of London – Birmingham, Bristol, Greater Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Nottingham, Newcastle and Sheffield. A further 18 city deals, covering the next 14 largest cities in England outside London, along with the six cities with the highest population growth between 2001 and 2010, were agreed between September 2013 and July 2014.

Three City region deals in Scotland have been agreed to date — for Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness and Highland, while a provisional agreement has been signed for Edinburgh and the South East, with a full agreement expected next year. A further nine councils are currently preparing bids.

The Tayside deal announced yesterday will be in co-operation with Angus, Dundee, Fife, and Perth & Kinross councils.

The City Deal established for Glasgow’s is around three years into a 20-year plan, which seeks to address longstanding and persistent challenges, such as levels of unemployment and entrepreneurship, as well as delivering a number of major physical regeneration projects. The Glasgow City Region Deal has three themes including a £1.13bn fund which support twenty major infrastructure projects across the region for roads, bridges and improved transport infrastructure.

The lifespan of the Aberdeen City Region Deal is over 10 years with funding of £826 million with its focus on innovation, internationalisation and diversification.