WARRINGTON Borough Council has detailed use of £800,000 funding to mitigate the impact of the controversial Inland Border Facility at Appleton Thorn, after being accused of spending some of the money on “hair-brained” schemes across the borough.
Councillor candidate for Grappenhall Simon Brookes is leading calls for green projects to benefit residents near the Inland Border Facility in Appleton Thorn.
Mr Brookes wrote to Warrington Borough Council asking for information about how £800,000 of Government funding had been spent.
The funding, secured by Andy Carter MP, was earmarked to be used for highway mitigation, however, Mr Brookes says the letter from the council revealed that none of the funding has been used for this purpose, although the council says the money has been used “appropriately and proportionately.”
Instead, it has been spent across the borough on a variety of projects and departments, including £20,000 received from HMRC for the inland border facility mitigation that has been used for the business case for works to the M6 Junction 20.
Council candidate Simon Brookes
Other allocations of the funding include £104,000 to Trading Standards, £60,000 was used in relation to Brexit, a further £60,000 was used to buy cameras (one of which is awaiting a power supply) and a further £66,000 for ANPR.
The Council has erected signage to direct lorries to the Inland Border Facility and also confirmed that a “contingency amount” has been held back to address issues as they occur such as fly-tipping.
Mr Brookes said: “To say I am shocked is an understatement, the money that our MP Andy Carter secured was supposed to be used to improve Appleton Thorn, Grappenhall and surrounding areas especially those close to the border facility.
“The fact that the money has been used for a business case for works on the M6 at Lymm exposes how poorly finances are run at Warrington Town Hall and how South Warrington residents are treated with disdain by the Council who are happy to take money but make no attempt to improve facilities.
The Council’s own data shows that vehicle movements are significantly lower than anticipated. Figures published recently shows an average of 29 lorries per day which shows that Liberal Democrat and Labour opposition to the project was unfounded.
Mr Brookes added: “There is nearly £150,000 left that could be used for both a tree planting scheme and for an air pollution monitoring station and I would encourage the Council to use the money for that purpose rather than ‘hair-brained schemes’ elsewhere in Warrington.
He strongly believes these projects will benefit not only residents, but the greenbelt “we all want to protect”, and take a step towards spending the money for its intended purpose.
A Warrington Borough Council spokesperson said: “All of the government funding we have received is being invested in projects and initiatives which are directly linked to this site, along with meeting the needs of residents who live close to it.
“While the Council received £800,000 of funding, £300,000 of this was for use by and allocated to Cheshire Resilience Forum, for associated risk management and planning related to the site.
“We have been fully committed to making the best use of the £500,000 directly allocated to the council. While new directional signage and additional cameras have been introduced, we agreed that it was important to look more broadly than just highways and signage and to consider the wider implications of the site.
“The consequences of this site being located within our borough are far-reaching. That’s why we have used the funding to invest in those services which will be key in ensuring that we are adequately prepared to deal with any associated pressures, now and in the future.
“This includes investment in resources to deal with increased fly-tipping in the area, which adds to the burden on our already stretched street scene services, and the installation of high level waste bins around the site to alleviate littering by HGVs.
“We have also commissioned work through the Chamber of Commerce to assist businesses in relation to the use of the site, how it will operate and what it means for business. Funding is also being used to support local people in obtaining employment at the site, in particular those who have been unemployed for a long time.
“In addition, it has been vital for us to invest in resources for the increased demand on regulatory services brought about by the site, and to invest in community safety resources, including emergency planning.
“As part of the allocation of this funding, we have also awarded £25,000 to Appleton Parish Council, to support community action, such as litter picking, which will help counteract the local impact of the site.
“We have been prudent in our contingency planning to ensure there are sufficient resources across our services, ready to respond to any potential issues and to manage the additional workload caused by the site, along with the unknown trading and regulatory issues as a result of Brexit. We believe we have, at every step of the way, used this funding appropriately and proportionately.”
