Jan. 2011: Selsey Life – More Funding Complexities
Happy New Year! Last month we mentioned
that residents at West Wittering were collecting funds to help pay
towards a vital flood defence for their community. They had been told
that if they collected £500,000 towards the £1.4m defence, government
funds (via the Environment Agency) would almost certainly be available
to pay the remainder of the cost of the works.
Amazingly, the community
collected over £620,000 within about 6 weeks - an awesome achievement.
However, at the time of writing it seems as if the full government
contribution may not be forthcoming. If this remains the case it will be
very disappointing for the local residents, and set a poor precedent for
future “deals” involving community contributions towards coastal
defences.
Such deals will probably
become the normal way of funding coast defences. The Government has just
issued a consultation on this. If you read Selsey Life, you probably
live in a “coastal area” and the proposals will affect you. To take part
in the consultation go to
http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/flood-coastal-erosion/index.htm).
The Government aims to get
more money invested in coast defences, by making coastal communities
pick up some of (and occasionally, all) the cost;
to give communities a greater
role in deciding what sort of defences they want and how to procure
them; and ensure people can continue to get flood insurance for their
homes.
The proposals imply that
somewhere like Selsey should get a proportion of the money needed to
defend its homes and businesses. Yippee!...well, not quite. A large
proportion of the money would have to be raised from “communities and
local partners”. That means you and me. And, if these “local
contributions” are not forthcoming, then the government’s money will go
elsewhere – to the places where local people have organised themselves
and are contributing towards of the cost of their coast defences.
In short, the writing is on
the (sea) wall: a place like Selsey will have to be in a position to
provide money towards its coastal defences, or the Government will not
contribute anything.
The idea of the Selsey
Coastal Trust (a charitable community enterprise that undertakes some
regeneration schemes in Selsey and applies all the profits for our
coastal defence) is one answer. It is being explored at present, and
given the consultation proposals it is now an idea of its time.
There are certainly
alternatives, but they might not be popular. For example, in a Suffolk
village a housing development was allowed despite it being against the
local planning policies, on the basis that all the profit was put
towards the local sea defences. And in the current consultation, the
government alludes to a special local tax (called a “levy”) that could
be applied in coastal areas.
We at SOS will certainly
“watch this space”, keep you updated, and try to influence current
developments to favour towns like Selsey.
Save
our Selsey