Kendal residents were aghast last night at reports that Liberal Democrat Councillors are seeking to save £50,000 from staffing costs supposed to be used to assist flood victims of Storm Desmond. Hundreds of households are still awaiting grants to make their homes resilient nearly one year after the floods.
Residents reacted angrily to the news at the North East Kendal Flood Action Group meeting last night (3rd November) at Sandylands Methodist Church at the heart of one of Kendal’s most flood stricken communities.
Those attending heard a quote from a Finance report prepared by Liberal Democrat Finance Portfolio Holder, Peter Thornton, which had been presented to a recent Cabinet meeting of South Lakeland District Council. The report noted that there was £50,000 that the Council hoped to save from processing Flood Resilience Grants which would go into the Council's General Reserves.
Councillor Ben Berry, Leader of the Conservative Opposition on SLDC, said: “The people of South Lakeland are right to be angry. Millions of pounds has been made available by Government to protect residents and the Lib Dem-run Council are hoping to save money at the expense of victims. With us entering winter months and potentially facing further extreme weather, Councillors need to ensure their staff are properly resourced to get grants to victims without further delay.”