‘ Regional summit needed to protect Yorkshire’

A SERIES of disastrous floods cannot be dismissed as “one- off” events, authorities have warned, as calls are backed for a countywide summit to protect the whole of Yorkshire.

Last month saw a summit covering South Yorkshire alone, after 1,000 homes were submerged in the areas in November last year.

There was fury and accusations over double standards though, as its promised remit was downgraded from covering the whole of the region.

Now the West Yorkshire Combined Authority ( WYCA) has called again on the Government to deliver its commitment, ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Boxing Day floods which wrought devastation across the region.

A single discussion is needed at a Yorkshire- wide level, they insist, to take up flood resilience with all parties from politicians to the Environment Agency and local leaders, coastal protection groups and Yorkshire Water.

“The flooding events West Yorkshire and the rest of the country have experienced in recent years show they cannot be dismissed as one- off extreme events,” said Coun Susan Hinchcliffe, authority chair and leader of Bradford Council.

“We must be prepared for more of them as climate change impacts on our weather system.

“As we approach winter and the fifth anniversary of the Boxing Day floods which devastated homes and businesses in West Yorkshire, we want to make sure we continue and accelerate work to reduce the risk of a repeat in the future.”

The authority is in the process of developing a pipeline of future flood resilience schemes with partner councils and the Environment Agency, alongside proposals for a natural flood management programme.

Efforts to tackle the current global crisis must not detract from long- term investment and infrastructure, Coun Hinchcliffe has warned.