Alverstoke flood defences row sees accusations of scoring ‘cheap points’
A row has broken out as the leader of Gosport Borough Council accused the town’s MP of ‘trying to score cheap political points’ – disagreeing over who’s to blame for the Alverstoke sea defences not being finished.
Writing in The News, Gosport’s Conservative MP Caroline Dinenage said work was cancelled by Gosport Borough Council and it is its responsibility to sort.
But the leader of the
Liberal Democrat-run council Cllr Peter Chegwyn said the work is suspended and the responsibility lies with the previous Conservative council, the government and the Environment Agency.
Cllr Chegwyn said
“She was wrong on both counts. It’s never been cancelled, it’s been suspended. It was suspended when the Conservatives ran the council before the Liberal Democrats took over pending a resolution with a practical problem with cable but more importantly, needing an okay from the government for another £800,000 from the Environment Agency.”
Cllr Chegwyn said: “She should check her facts first before trying to score cheap political points.”
Ms Dinenage said Gosport Borough Council should prioritise sea defences now that local elections had finished and criticised them for spending £50,000 on a feasibility study for a building the council are developing, The Criterion.
She said in her column, she would be meeting with the Environment Agency and minister to do her bit, and put focus on the issue but the ultimate responsibility was with Gosport Borough Council.
But Cllr Chegwyn argued it was up to Ms Dinenage to help secure that funding from the Environment Agency – not the council. He said that the agency had not responded to any of the letters he had written and ‘should do her job’ by chasing up the letters with the Environment Agency and helping secure funding.
Cllr Chegwyn said construction work on the Alverstoke flood defences was approved in February 2021, while the Conservatives were running the council, and work started on site a year later.
But it then stopped in April 2022 when underground cabling was exposed while clearing the causeway wall for
She was wrong on both counts. It’s never been cancelled, it’s been suspended
strengthening to begin.
At this point, there was not enough funding to deal with the cables.
An Environment Agency spokesman said: “We have supported Gosport Borough Council and Coastal Partners on the Alverstoke and Forton schemes for a number of years, including securing central government funding for the projects.
“Unfortunately, as the costs have escalated, there is now a need to secure sources of funding and we continue to work in partnership with the council in doing this.”
The Alverstoke and Forton flood defence schemes would reduce flood risk to 341 properties over the next 50 years from a one-in-100-year event.