City Region Deals (CRDs) and Growth Deals are arrangements between the UK Government, the Scottish Government, local governments, and (private, public or third sector) local stakeholders that seek to pool resources and expertise in bespoke ‘packages’ tailored towards defined geographical areas and designed to provide funding for specific projects. They are, in essence, vehicles to promote economic development and growth. Between 2011 and 2019, the UK Government committed about £2.3 billion to 32 City Region Deals or Growth Deals across the UK.

This report examines whether, in Scotland, the potential of the deals to be a progressive force has been realised with regards to the themes of openness, partnership and inclusivity both during the early development phases of the deals and in the more concrete project-oriented phases thereafter. The report discusses the extent to which the making of the various CRDs and Growth Deals has included a wide range of communities, whether those who were involved in the deal-making processes considered equality and
inclusion issues, and whether equality impacts were actively monitored.

Find the report here, an article in the Public Sector Journal here, and a book chapter here.