The UK government has announced that £140 million will go towards five Scottish Local Region Growth Funds in a bid to drive economic prosperity across Scotland.

Glasgow City will receive £60.9m from the fund over the next three years, with Edinburgh and the South East receiving £37.8m. Tay Cities (£19.5m), Ayrshire (£11.8m), and the Forth Valley Region (£9.8m) will split the rest of the funding.

The programme will fund regional projects which will aim to drive economic growth. That might mean projects like infrastructure investment, business support, or skills development – projects which will make a real difference in terms of skilled jobs and people’s prosperity.

“The UK Government is today backing regional economies across Scotland with £140 million of new investment,” secretary of state for Scotland Douglas Alexander said.

“This new investment will allow local leaders to decide how best to use the funding, which could include projects to improve infrastructure, business support or skills development. The UK Government will now work with local partners to develop investment plans tailored to each region.

“By investing in local areas, reducing child poverty, and bringing down inflation, the UK Government is focused on delivering material change to people across the country – boosting living standards and improving public services.”

The new Scottish Local Growth Funds will provide targeted funding to boost economic growth and improve living standards by investing in the regions that contain the areas with the lowest Real Disposable Household Income (RDHI) per capita.

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Funding has been allocated at regional level to enable strategic decision-making and maximum growth impact. Allocations have been allocated across the five eligible REPs in proportion to their population.

Overall, 23 local authorities will receive funding from the local growth fund, including: East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Fife, Midlothian, Scottish Borders, West Lothian, Stirling, Falkirk, Clackmannanshire, Glasgow City, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, North Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire, Angus, Dundee City, Fife, and Perth & Kinross