Councillors note progress of City Region Deal projects benefiting Midlothian
Midlothian councillors have noted the publication of the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal Annual Report 2025/26, which highlights strong progress across projects designed to boost jobs, skills, innovation and infrastructure across the region.
Significant headway
The report shows that all Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal projects are now either being delivered or are in the implementation stage, with the vast majority on track in terms of both timescales and budgets.
Regional partnership
The City Region Deal is a 15-year partnership between the six councils in the area including Midlothian, the Scottish and UK governments, universities and colleges. During 2025/26, £21.6 million of government funding was invested in projects across the region.
New opportunities
The annual report highlights benefits for Midlothian through work linked to employability and skills, data-driven innovation, community wealth building and the delivery of strategic housing sites. These programmes are helping to create new opportunities for residents, support businesses and attract investment into the area.
Sheriffhall awaiting government decision
The report also notes continued progress on major infrastructure projects across the region. While most projects remain on schedule, the A720 Sheriffhall project continues to await a final decision from the Scottish Government following a public inquiry process.
Report welcomed
Midlothian councillors welcomed the positive progress reported over the past year and the continued investment being made through the City Region Deal partnership.
Real benefits
Councillor Colin Cassidy, Cabinet Member for Economic Development said: "The City Region Deal continues to bring real benefits to Midlothian, helping to create jobs, support skills development and attract investment into our communities.
Investing in the future
"It's encouraging to see strong progress across the programme, with projects helping to unlock opportunities for residents, businesses and future generations.
Economic growth
"Working with our regional partners allows us to secure significant investment that supports economic growth while helping Midlothian remain an attractive place to live, work and do business."
Seven years of impact
Since the City Region Deal was signed in 2018, the programme has delivered significant economic benefit across Edinburgh and South East Scotland. Headline figures include:
- £3.9 billion added to the Scottish and UK economy in Gross Value Added
- 34,000 jobs supported
- £1.1 billion in additional funding leveraged