MP calls for tougher action to combat floods menace
A Shropshire MP says a new and ‘hard-hitting’ report on flood prevention makes ‘bold and ambitious’ calls upon the Government to ‘take tougher action’ to combat the threat of rising river levels.
Shrewsbury MP Julia Buckley, who helped compile the report, said: “Flooding of the River Severn in our town and beyond has been an absolute menace for householders and local businesses across many generations, and tougher, decisive action needs to be taken.
“I’m proud to sit on the Environmental Audit Committee in Parliament, which has just published this important report into flood resilience in England, with Shrewsbury featured as the primary case study. Indeed, the word ‘Shrewsbury’ appears in the report no fewer than 20 times.
“I secured Shrewsbury’s inclusion to make sure our local experience shaped national recommendations. The report – which has 39 recommendations – calls for clear flood resilience standards and a legal duty for authorities to act, with practical steps to protect communities like ours.
“And I personally handed the report to Water and Flooding Minister Emma Hardy this week.
“As part of the inquiry, committee members visited Shrewsbury to meet farmers in Minsterley and businesses from the Shrewsbury Business Flood Action Group. Their insight helped shape the recommendations now being presented to government.”
The MP, who this week alone is attending five flooding-related meetings, added: “Climate change is making flooding become a very regular event, and we’ve got to stop reacting as though it’s a surprise. What we now have here is a solid, hard-hitting report with realistic recommendations. And we’re really being quite bold and ambitious. We’re saying we can’t ignore this problem anymore. We now need to see these words turned into action.”
“Yes, it’s about investment and it’s about funding, but it’s also about moving resources and expectations into preparing before a flood rather than after it.”
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) told the audit select committee that protecting communities from flooding was one of its five core priorities.
Responding to the committee, Defra said it was committed to investment to improve flood resilience, after what it said were years of underinvestment from the previous government. It said: “£2.65bn will be invested over two years in building, maintaining and repairing flood defences.”
