North East Conservative MSP, Nanette Milne, has written to UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne MP to enquire about future funding opportunities for Aberdeen to become a smart city.
The UK Government recently announced that Glasgow had won a £24m UK government grant intended to make it one of the UK’s first smart cities. Under the smart-city system real-time information about traffic is provided to residents and visitors to check that buses and trains are on time and help provide for better traffic management and help plan for services to work more smartly.
Nanette Milne, Scottish Conservative MSP for the North East said:
“The UK Conservative Government has made significant funding available already to develop Glasgow as one of the UK’s first smart cities.
“The North East is the powerhouse of the Scottish economy and I believe it could significantly benefit if it was to become a smart-city with better traffic management systems.
“The UK Conservative Government recently announced Aberdeen would become one of twelve UK cities which will benefit from expansion of ultra-fast broadband following a successful bid to secure a share of the UK Government’s £50m broadband ‘super-connected’ city fund.
“With the development of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route as well as the investment in other parts of the transport network I believe there is a great opportunity to deliver Aberdeen a smart-city transport network.
“I have written to Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne MP to enquire about further funding opportunities and have also asked Aberdeen City Council to look to put together a potential business case for Aberdeen to become a smart-city.”