Flooding fears as report on defences delayed
Government’s key flood review still not published
A MAJOR report into preventing flooding has been delayed prompting fears over the Government’s commitment to protecting the Yorkshire region from future disasters.
Senior council leaders have written to Prime Minister Theresa May seeking assurances following the delay of the publication of the Flood Resilience Review, which was expected in July.
The review was announced after last winter’s catastrophic floods which affected York, Leeds and the Calder Valley and was intended to assess how the region could be better protected from future flooding and increasingly extreme weather. There are added concerns that a delay stretching into autumn would leave less time to make any short-term changes ahead of winter.
It is the latest blow for the thousands of victims hit by flooding after the Government scrapped the flood tsars this summer.
Leeds West MP Rachel Reeves accused the Government of “dithering and delay”, and said: “The Government has badly let down my constituents and many others across the country struggling to get new insurance quotes and rebuild their lives after the floods. The Environment Secretary needs to get a grip on the situation and ensure the review is published as soon as possible.”
Leeds Council leader Judith Blake and Calderdale Council leader Tim Swift have both written a joint letter to Mrs May about the progress of the review.
The letter says: “We are keen to understand the current status of the National Flood Resilience Review. This review was critical to understanding how we can better protect our communities and businesses from future flooding and increasingly extreme weather events.”
Coun Blake told The Yorkshire Post that any delay was a concern, especially for residents and businesses in Leeds affected by Storm Eva. She is also requesting urgent talks to press for confirmation of previously promised funding for a flood defence scheme for Leeds where about 2,000 homes and 500 businesses were affected on Boxing Day.
She added: “We saw the Government cancel funding for flood defences proposed in 2011, and we can’t let that happen again.”
Coun Swift said the review was critical for long-term planning, adding: “We are concerned about the delay and whether the new Government is as committed as the previous one.”
The Environment Secretary needs to get a grip on the situation Leeds MP Rachel Reeves
The Yorkshire Post understands the delays in the report’s publication are due to the political changes after the Brexit vote and the departure of David Cameron.
Although its findings were expected in July, The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said it had always said the report would be published in the summer – which could mean up to the end of September.
Wakefield MP Mary Creagh, the chairwoman of the Environmental Audit Committee, is also writing to the Government over the delay.
IT WAS inevitable that the political upheaval at Westminster following the EU referendum, David Cameron’s resignation and Theresa May’s election as Prime Minister would leave decision-making in a state of flux. Only now, as the summer holiday draws to a close, will it be ‘business as usual’ at Westminster.
Yet this does not excuse the delays to the Flood Resilience Review. Commissioned after large parts of Yorkshire, and the North, were left submerged by filthy floodwater, its objective could not be more important – to ensure communities across the country are better prepared when rivers burst their banks this winter, as they inevitably will do.
Originally due to be published by Defra in the “summer”, July came and went as Mrs May moved into 10 Downing Street. It was then hoped that the key findings would see the light of day in August – but this has proved to be optimistic. Now Defra is hinting at a publication date in September, a month traditionally dominated by the party conferences.
That Defra officials still regard late September as “summer” illustrates a lack of urgency which is entirely indicative of the Government’s pedestrian response to the whole flooding crisis. Policymakers do not have time on their side. The longer the delay, the less likelihood of local authorities being able to put in place basic contingencies for the upcoming winter.
The consequence? Even higher repair bills, more homes and businesses left without affordable insurance and a rising tide of anger at the complacency of Ministers who started stonewalling awkward questions tabled by concerned Yorkshire MPs in Parliament before the summer recess. Though Mrs May has made clear that Brexit is her top priority, there’s absolutely no justification for the Government dragging its feet on day-to-day challenges, like under-investment in flood defences, which existed long before Britain voted to leave the European Union.