MARCH was the second anniversary of the formation of the joint venture ‘Inchgreen Marine Park Ltd’ between Inverclyde Council and Clydeport/Peel Ports.

It has been two years, and not one permanent job created!

The JV recently released the 2022/2023 accounts and a dividend of £620,000 was declared. Our two Inverclyde Council representatives on the JV board, Councillor Stephen McCabe and Chris Curley, waived the council's dividend of £310,000, Clydeport/Peel Ports receiving their full £310,000 dividend.

Coincidentally, around the same time the joint venture purchased McKechnie Jess land adjacent to Inchgreen as recently stated to the BBC by James McSporran, Clydeport director.

The cost for this land was £600,000 and it is now registered in Clydeport’s name, not the JV. This begs the question, was the council's waived dividend of £310,000 used to purchase McKelvie Jess land?

The taxpayer has contributed £10.6m to repair and refurbish Inchgreen due to lack of care and maintenance by Peel over 20 years, using the JV as a vehicle to extend their Inverclyde land grab.

Too much secrecy surrounds the operation of Inchgreen Marine Park Ltd and the use of public money to subsidise an offshore company that pays little or no tax.

We had to seek assistance from the Scottish Information Commissioner to get answers to questions asked last September.

Maybe our councillors can ask for an explanation on our £310,000 and when can we expect companies to arrive and provide these hundreds of jobs that they’ve been boasting about?

Robert Buirds

Secretary

Inchgreen Campaign