LISTEN: The battle goes on for Fort George and Kinloss barracks survival
North representatives say there'll be no easing up in the bid to save both Kinloss and Fort George.
With the UK Government's planned closure of thirteen bases, campaigners say the fight must go on to highlight the importance of both Kinloss and Fort George.
Moray SNP MP Angus Robertson said: “This is just the latest in a series of announcements of base closures with more announcements expected. These closures are just a fraction of the billion pound target for land disposal that has been set by the MoD"
“With further announcements expected within weeks we need to re-double our efforts to make sure Kinloss remains in use as a military base and that the Tory Government keeps the promises that were made to Moray in the wake of the loss of thousands of RAF personnel just a few short years ago.”
Regional MSP Douglas Ross had this say on Kinloss dodging this round of cuts:-
Inverness MP Drew Hendry says, there's still no assurances for those at Ardersier awaiting news on Fort George, despite pressure on the UK Government:-
The first quarter of MoD cuts only account for around £225m of the planned billion pounds-worth of changes.
Richard Lochhead MSP said: “With significant base closures expected to be announced in the coming weeks we cannot ease up on making the case for retention of Kinloss Barracks"
“The UK Government is drip feeding bad news on the sell off of defence bases with their target being a billion pounds worth of property sales. Until we know that the final announcement has been made we cannot afford to back off the defence of Kinloss Barracks.”