FOI/202600522717 · FOI/EIR · clarification
Whitesands Flood Protection project information: EIR release
Information requested
Clarification about the £55 million funding for the Whitesands flood project in Dumfries and Galloway; when and who granted it.
This was mentioned at the December council meeting, but it is unclear who confirmed this funding and when. An MSP raised this in Parliament, but no response was provided by the First Minister.
I am concerned the cost may fall on local taxpayers, many of whom opposed the project, potentially leading to significant council tax increases.
I also do not understand why the Scottish Parliament could not answer my question today and instead referred me to the Scottish Government. I would appreciate clarification on this.
Response
As the information you have requested is ‘environmental information’ for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.
This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.
Response to your request
Funding for the Whitesands Flood Protection Scheme is provided through the local government settlement as part of the general capital grant. An overview of the project as well as the cost of construction can be viewed online here.
Decisions around the allocation of the general capital grant are made jointly by Scottish Ministers and COSLA Leaders.
The decision to fund Whitesands Flood Protection Scheme was made in 2016.
Dumfries and Galloway Council are eligible for 80% of the total costs of the Whitesands Flood Protection Scheme which became fixed when they accepted their construction tender in March 2026. The fixed cost is £68.816m so the council is eligible for £54.894m in grant funding. Any future increases in cost beyond £68.816m must be borne by the council.
This funding is provided to the council against a cost profile that they submit annually.
You may also find it helpful to know that in April 2021, the Scottish Government released information on Local authority breakdown of flood and coastal funding schemes which references Whitesands Flood Protection Scheme. This link provides a .pdf document which sets out the rationale for the 80% grant intervention rate, which was set in 2016.
Additionally, you can find further information on SEPA’s website regarding flood protection schemes.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Contact Please quote the FOI reference Central Correspondence Unit Email: contactus@gov.scot Phone: 0300 244 4000 The Scottish Government St Andrew's House Regent Road Edinburgh EH1 3DG
Detected exemption language
We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA. This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes.
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