A deal has been signed to bring £315m to Inverness and the Highlands.

Council officials met economy secretary Keith Brown in Invergordon on Monday to finalise the Inverness and Highland City Region Deal.

The Scottish Government has agreed to commit £135m, supported by £127m from the council and its partners, and another £53m from the UK Government.

The money will be spent on projects in the Inverness area and funding has already been confirmed for three schemes.

A total of £3m has been awarded to the Science Skills Academy, £9m to the University of the Highlands and Islands, and £250,000 for a scheme to develop land in Inverness.

Highland Council leader Margaret Davidson said: "Given the economic challenges and uncertainty that we face from a number of quarters, I would suggest that the City Region Deal has never been as important to us in helping to sustain and develop our economy.

"With the formal signing, the business community now have long-term certainly over public-sector investment and can now make long term investment decisions in Inverness and across the Highlands."

The deal will create up to £800m worth of investment by the private sector, it has been claimed.

Similar deals have already been signed in Aberdeen and Glasgow.

Mr Brown said: "The signing of the Inverness City Region Deal shows our clear and strong commitment to investing in Inverness and the wider Highlands region, and the crucial contribution they make to Scotland's economic growth.

"Our £135m investment will improve access to jobs, education and healthcare which will deliver significant long-term benefits for the city, region and Scotland as a whole.

"This investment reinforces the Scottish Government's commitment to bringing economic prosperity to all parts of Scotland."