FALMOUTH DOCKS HIT BY RDA CUTS (Julia Goldsworthy)

Julia Goldsworthy <info@juliagoldsworthy.org>

FALMOUTH DOCKS HIT BY RDA CUTS

June 8, 2009 5:00 PM

Plans for a new cruise ship terminal building at Falmouth Docks are in jeopardy due to budget cuts by the South West Regional Development Agency (RDA).

Projects across the South West are being hit as the government quango has £56m less available to spend over the next two years. The RDA has also announced that they will not support plans to dredge a deeper channel into Falmouth Docks.

Commenting, Julia Goldsworthy said:

"It is unacceptable that the Regional Development Agency has made this decision to cut funding for such important projects whilst not even bothering to respond to a recent meeting request from local, democratically elected MPs.

"The Government keeps endlessly stating that the RDAs are the organisations best placed to help communities through difficult economic times. Today's announcement further exposes the reality that they are unaccountable quangos, with neither the budget nor the commitment to deliver what our communities really need to support our local economy when people need it most.

"After so much money has been spent locally in developing these plans, today's news is devastating for Falmouth - the RDA must respond immediately to explain their actions in withdrawing such vital funding."

Terry Teverson, Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Truro and Falmouth added:

"If these projects do not go ahead it will be a real body blow to Falmouth and to the wider Cornish business community.

"The Docks is the heart of Falmouth, providing real jobs in a real industry - one of our last remaining ones. We saw the demise of tin-mining and the harm that did to the engineering community. This will damage the future development and vision for skilled jobs in Cornwall."