Border Telegraph | News | MSP and council clash over flood prevention plans

Wednesday, 20th August, 2008

Published: Wednesday, 30th January, 2008 04:00

MSP and council clash over flood prevention plans

By Campbell Hutcheson

Comments (0)

Print Article

A ROW has erupted over proposals to protect Borderers from the effects of flooding.

Scottish Borders Council and Christine Grahame MSP have clashed during consideration of the funding of flood prevention schemes for the region.

Ms Grahame claims that SBC is putting lives and business at risk by failing to apply to the Scottish Government for flood prevention funding.

But Councillor Jim Fullarton, SBC’s executive member for roads and infrastructure, believes that changes by the SNP administration at Holyrood are making it more difficult to access cash.

Ms Grahame said: “The inaction of SBC in failing to submit an application for flood prevention borders on the reckless.

“Borderers will be left wondering what it takes for this council to act to help prevent flooding in the Borders. The administration’s lacklustre approach is putting lives at risk and threatening businesses and homes.

“The money which Scottish Ministers have is not being held back for a rainy day.

“The money is there to be accessed now and all that Scottish Borders Council has to do is fill out the form and make a valid application.

“As changes in the environment appear to accelerate year on year, it is imperative that as much preventative work takes place now.

“We can’t wait for the kind of damage we saw in the past few years when there was severe flooding which hit Hawick, Peebles, Selkirk and Galashiels.”

Councillor Fullarton hit back, refuting the MSP’s allegations.

He said: “Not only is she out of touch with the work that’s been done by this council, she also seems completely unaware of the change in the funding arrangements made by her government which will make it much harder to deliver the flood prevention schemes in the Borders that we had planned.

“We have completed the preliminary assessment of the flood mechanisms within the seven towns and villages considered to have a significant flooding risk.

“We have developed a variety of options for flood prevention schemes within these settlements.

“We were about to start the bidding process for 80 per cent funding support for the first two schemes — but the grant’s vanished.”

Councillor Fullarton said the council is concerned that National Flood Prevention Scheme funding is to be shared out equally, not on the basis of need.

He said: “This could be critical for the Borders, as we have one of the highest proportions of properties at risk in any council area, and we could end up with just a fraction of the funding that’s required.

“In fact, I am worried that the council will find it difficult, or even impossible, to implement flood schemes as a result of this change in the funding system.”

In September, the council’s Executive Committee agreed a prioritisation programme for the preparation of flood prevention schemes as it could not afford to start schemes in Peebles, Galashiels, Selkirk, Hawick, Newcastlon, Stow and Jedburgh at the same time.

The Galashiels and Selkirk schemes were approved to go first.

Due to the funding changes, the council is now considering a substantially slimmed-down investment plan to take forward the planned flood schemes.

It is hoped that smaller, less expensive works will provide some limited protection to areas at risk and ensure that watercourses run as efficiently as possible.

Councillor Fullarton said: “I’d very much appreciate Ms Grahame’s help to secure the funding necessary to take our schemes forward as planned.”

Comments