Flintshire County Council to return £1.4m grant funding

Dec 12 2008 by Eleanor Barlow, Flintshire Chronicle

FLINTSHIRE County Council is returning £1.4m of grant money to the Welsh Assembly – because it has failed to spend it.

The council was awarded £1.37m for 2008-09 to create a sustainable transport system and had planned to spend it on a coastal pathway from Connah’s Quay to Prestatyn.

Now £900,000 must be returned to the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) as the council has not spent it, and the pathway is unfinished.

Sustrans director for Wales, Lee Waters, said: “We have been trying to help Flintshire with the projects but there has been a real lack of willing from the Highways department.

“They have had the money since about March and have not made huge amounts of effort so now it has to be returned.”

A further £500,000 was granted from transport consortium Taith to transform the disused railway line between Saltney and Mold into a shared walkway and cycle path.

The council has failed to spend this money and create the path, bringing the total amount to be handed back to WAG to £1.4m.

Labour AM for Alyn and Deeside, Carl Sargeant, said: “The fact they have failed to spend this is a complete failure of the administration. “The people of Flintshire had £1.5m of capital spend and the authority is now returning it. I just cannot believe they have let it slip.”

Dave Faulkner, chief highways and transportation engineer for Flintshire County Council said: “Unfortunately, unforeseen problems associated with landowners on some of these schemes has resulted in slippage and it will not be possible to spend some of the grant during the present financial year.”