The proof is there Peter (both of you!) - just talking locally we already have Outputs that have resulted in Outcomes and more are on the way - if you're free on 6th Jan you can come and help out on another one locally
I've got involved in this purely because it does allow a local voice to be heard - the projects currently being funded on the Dour have been chosen from a list that has been generated with local knowledge and local needs.
What isn't there is the immediate funding for all the realisable projects (which are often immensely expensive), and the acceptance that you can only control nature to a certain extent and the cost goes up exponentially the more you want to control. If you look at the depth of the recent flooding and the area it was over there is no way that amount of water could be controlled by normal flood control measures like raising the height of riverbanks evermore.
Howard - the dredging isn't limited to certain rivers, just determined by need and available finances and we're working hard on finding a lot more of that for local projects that won't just be restricted to the terms of the Directive.
