Communities hit by floods will miss out on extra funds

Traumatised communities hit by repeated flooding across Fife will not be eligible for a slice of the £150 million committed by the Scottish Government for the worst-affected regions, it has been revealed.

Council officers applying for funding to help beleaguered residents informed council leaders that the new £150m pot, which was added to a government commitment of £42m already in place, would only be available to cover the increased costs of flood projects already earmarked, of which Fife has none.

The Scottish Government confirmed last September that local authorities would be eligible for 80% of Scottish Government support for any proposed flood protection measures prioritised under the national Flood Risk Management Strategy.

However, officer Derek Crowe, senior manager of roads and transportation services, told a meeting of the policy and coordination committee yesterday that applying for a proportion of the extra funding came with “strict protocols” and that there were currently “mixed messages” over which flood improvement projects would be eligible for the funds.

“For the next year the Scottish Government has £42m for pre-arranged and priorities flood projects,” said Mr Crowe.

“This extra £150m is only there to help deliver these existing schemes that have now been advanced to detailed design and tendering, the value of which has inflated significantly.

“There is no new money that Fife Council can bid for, it is only there for existing projects.

“I want to stop any confusion around councillors and community groups that the council could be accessing this £150m.

“We have had it clarified that is not available to us.”

Councillors voiced their dismay at the news with councillor Linda Erskine, who represents Cardenden, one of the communities hardest hit by the severe flooding caused by Storm Frances back in August 2020, “shocked and disappointed” by the news.

She added: “The public are already assuming, as are councillors, that we have access to apply for that funding, the fact that we don’t is worrying.”

Councillor Neil Crooks said: “This is a massive misunderstanding that will come as a big shock to many communities, some of which have suffered for years.”

However, Fife Council has provided an extra £5m to its flood prevention plan to be spread over the next 10 years, as well as £450,000 to investigate around 600 potential flood-risk areas.

Councillors were also informed that the longterm flooding problems in Kinglassie, where some residents are yet to return to their homes after Lochty Burn burst its banks last August, has been prioritised and will be submitted to the Scottish Government for the next funding applications in 2022.

A report to the committee also outlined improvements made to the council’s flood emergency response from the lessons learned from the devastating storms and flooding that hit Fife over August 11 and 12 last year.

The committee was told that more staff at the council’s call centre were being introduced after it was swamped with over 4,000 calls from the public seeking help in that twoday period.

AFTER THE DELUGE: Cars left stranded after Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy was flooded during storms last August.