PRESS RELEASE
December 11th, 2009

Flooding blow

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil has called on the Scottish Government to address the huge shortfall in funding need to tackle the area’s ongoing flooding problems.

The MSP has learned that Inverclyde is likely to receive only £800,000 of the £42 million being invested in Scotland’s flood prevention programme.

But it is expected that the local authority would need to invest more than 10 times that to alleviate the recurring flooding problems that have dogged the area.

In the Scottish Parliament this week, Mr McNeil argued that coastal communities like Inverclyde should receive a bigger slice of the cash to meet their greater need, which is acknowledged by the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA).

Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Environment, was unable to give any assurances over increased funding.

Mr McNeil said: “The cabinet secretary needs to recognise that Inverclyde Council must receive more support if it is to tackle our recurring flooding problems.

“A coastal community like ours – stuck between the hills and the river – needs significant investment if we are to going to halt the damage flooding does to business and homeowners.

“A conservative estimate would put the investment needed at around £10 million – more than 10 times our likely allocation.

“Where is the consistency here? We have just been through a battle trying to get our fair share of funds for schools where it was deemed our need wasn’t great enough.

“Yet when SEPA recognise coastal communities like ours have a particular need, it is handed out on a pro rata basis.

“It seems ministers are happy to change the rules when it suits them and that cannot go unchallenged if it means we are losing out on our fair share.”

It is expected that Inverclyde will receive two per cent of the total cash shared across 32 local authorities, estimated to be around 32 councils.

ENDS