Councils do not have enough money to prevent flooding, warns survey

More than half of the councils in England do not have enough funding to protect homes against flooding, town halls have admitted.

Following the devastating floods of 2007 councils were told to improve flood defences and help households to put in place measures to prevent damage.

But a survey by the Local Government Association, reported in the Daily Telegraph, found that 60% of councils still do not have the necessary funds to fulfil their flood risk responsibilities.

It also reveals that a quarter are struggling to recruit and retain the specialist staff needed to improve drainage systems and plan for floods properly.

Despite the need for cutbacks in many areas of government spending in order to recoup the costs of bank bailouts and other economic support, the government has so far refused to re-open the question of the £6bn net a year that Britain pays to the European Union.

This amount was agreed before the economic crisis erupted and before the value of the pound dropped in relation to the euro - the currency in which payments to the EU must be made.

In November last year, the accuracy of the EU's accounts was seriously criticised by auditors for the 14th year in a row, with billion of pounds of EU spending once again unaccounted for.

Spending on propping up the EU's wasteful institutions should be a prime candidate for cuts before axing council grants or spending on education - both of which have been reported recently.

Improvements needed over flood response

Major improvements are needed to ensure the country is better protected against flooding, reports the Eastern Daily Press.

Two new reports are set to highlight that Britain was ill-prepared for last summer's floods, which caused devastation across large parts of the country, and that eastern England is particularly under threat.

The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) report - The Flooding: Engineering Resilience - warns the UK's power, water and transport systems are stretched to the limit and need extra capacity to prevent blackouts and shortages when the country is hit by floods in the future.

In a special section on the east of England, the ICE report states that drainage systems in places like Norwich, Ipswich and Cambridge are already working at full capacity and that pressure would only be increased as the region moves towards meeting its target of building 500,000 new homes by 2021.

The vulnerability of the Norfolk Broads and major Suffolk roads such as the A12 are also highlighted, should controversial proposals to abandon flood defences along 25 square miles go ahead.

“No other area of the UK is in such real and immediate danger from flooding as the East of England. It's at risk from all sides: coastal erosion and flooding, tidal surges, river flooding and overflowing drains in towns and cities,” the report states.

ICE said investment in new infrastructure had been reduced by economic and regulatory pressure to a point where “there is no longer any spare capacity available to provide alternative sources of power or water treatment should key utilities be compromised by flooding”.

The report also said funding for flood defences was not sufficient or secure, undermining industry confidence, and there were not enough skilled engineers to deliver protection from flooding.

The ICE report coincides with the release of a government-commissioned review from Sir Michael Pitt, which contains 92 recommendations on how Britain should be better equipped in the event of future flooding crises.

Britain's vulnerability was highlighted this time last year when places such as Hull were devastated by flooding. Then, in November, communities along the Norfolk and Suffolk coastline narrowly missed being swamped by a North Sea tidal surge.

Sir Michael's recommendations include local authorities being given a more clearly-defined leadership role in overseeing the maintenance of drainage networks, a joint nerve centre from which the Met Office and Environment Agency can issue better flood warnings and new building regulations detailing drainage systems and appropriate construction materials.

A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the government was working to ensure that infrastructure was resistant to flooding and robust back-up was in place where it was most needed.

She added: “Work includes assessing the vulnerability of infrastructure to natural hazards and working with industry and operators to ensure it's resilient. More details on this work will be provided as part of our formal response to the Pitt report.”

Norfolk & Suffolk: Campaigners united over sea defences

Groups fighting plans to abandon coastal areas to the waves have resolved to work together to convince the government to drop the controversial proposals - reports the Eastern Daily Press.

Councillors from across Suffolk and Norfolk coastal areas and from all levels of local government met for a conference in Southwold today.

Also among more than 100 delegates were coastal pressure groups, Natural England, Suffolk Coastal MP John Gummer and Euro MP Geoffrey Van Orden.

They were united in wanting to stop the Environment Agency's policy of “managed retreat”, or letting nature take its course as sea levels rise and coastal erosion continues.

The conference focused on the Blyth estuary, one of the areas which will be most affected by the policy, but also heard of concerns elsewhere on the Suffolk coast and in Norfolk.

Delegates decided that co-operation and communication were the key to persuading government to drop the plans and instead invest in flood defences.

Norfolk: Fire chief warns of flood threat

A senior fire office last night issued a stark warning that a repeat of the 1953 floods - which killed 100 in Norfolk - would have a more devastating impact today because of a lack of specialist crews - reports the Eastern Daily Press.

East Anglia has been identified as one of the least protected areas of the country in a report which reveals a national shortage of firefighters trained in flood rescues.

Paul Hayden, who coordinates flood rescues for the Chief Fire Officers' Association and is the former deputy chief fire officer for Norfolk, called for additional training and equipment so more firefighters can respond to major flooding disasters.

UK's flood defences 'inadequate', warn MPs

Britain could be at risk of a repeat of last summer's flood disaster because the money being spent on improving defences is "inadequate" - reports the Daily Telegraph today.

Ministers had claimed that the £800m earmarked for flood prevention by 2010-2011 (in contrast, equivalent to a mere
7 weeks of our net payments to the EU budget) would be enough.

But MPs on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA) have warned that the figure for government spending was "far less impressive under close analysis" and may be insufficient to deal with traditional and new flooding threats.

Last night the government announced £31m from the European Union's Solidarity Fund would be spent on the areas worst hit by the floods (not even two days worth of the NET amount we pay into the EU budget).

The floods in June and July last year, mainly in Yorkshire, Humberside and the Midlands were the worst for 60 years causing £3bn of damage and leaving 13 people dead.

A total of 44,600 homes and 7,100 businesses were flooded and thousands more people were left without power and water.

Nine months on the misery was still continuing for thousands who had not been able to return to their devastated homes.

So why is the government's professed commitment to prevent future flooding so miniscule in comparison to the funds it is prepared to lavish on the wasteful, audit-failing EU?

Are these the priorities we expect?

Sheffield: Experts voice flood defence fears

Flood defence experts in England have written to the government to voice their "deep concern" about the maintenance of defences in the future - reports the BBC.

They say much more money is needed for improvements or flooding will cost the country and the economy dearly.

The letter, sent to Environment Secretary Hilary Benn, has been signed by the chairmen of all the flood defence committees in England.

In it, they say they cannot overstate the impact the recent flooding had.

They give the example of Sheffield and Rotherham, South Yorkshire, which came very close to losing all their power for an extended period.

The chairmen add that the growing intensity of extreme weather events means flooding will become more frequent and that current levels of funding are not sufficient to carry out the work that is needed.

The letter calls for more investment to manage the problem because, they say, the country has no choice but to adapt to its changing climate.

It was contained in the minutes of the meeting of the Yorks Regional Flood Defence Committee, which has been taking place in Leeds.

The Environment Agency says it will need to spend £750m a year over the next three years to protect areas threatened by floods.

The amount currently offered by the government falls short, meaning a number of projects have been put on hold.

These include a £100m scheme for Leeds, and plans to replace York's defences, which have been deemed inadequate.

The agency also estimates that it needs £150m a year over the next 10 years just to bring its existing assets up to standard.

Norfolk: Ministers warned over flood budget cuts

Ministers were last night urged to pump millions more into Norfolk's flood defences to prevent communities being swept away by water - reports the Eastern Daily Press.

Norfolk County Council is lobbying new environment secretary Hilary Benn to restore a £20m cut made to the Environment Agency's flood defence funding for the Anglian region.

This year the agency's spending on flood risk management in the region has been slashed from £99m to £79m.

Ian Monson, cabinet member for the environment and waste, has written to Mr Benn warning that the funding squeeze could seriously compromise the Agency's abilities to carry out its duties.

“We feel it will accumulate if we don't put the right resources in properly to manage our flood defences properly they could be in danger in the future,” he said.

“It is a warning. There's a definite feeling from people here in Norfolk along the coasts and river banks that things are getting worse. This is rapidly becoming a major concern.

"It's not only coastal defences, it's riverbanks, and doing the remedial work in clearing silt out of the rivers.

“We took a big knock for funding in this region and clearly we have suffered with flooding. We need to get this reinstated and put the budget back.” he said.

Last month MPs warned that swathes of lowland East Anglia could be routinely deluged because of a neglect of the region's flood defences.

It followed a hard hitting report by the National Audit Office stating that the Environment Agency was not doing enough to protect property and businesses.

North West Norfolk MP Henry Bellingham, who quizzed Mr Benn about the extra funding in Parliament, said it was vital extra cash would be found for sea defences.

“We need to make sure that the sea defences budget is increased,” he said. “Luckily in Norfolk very few of the rivers flood, but the main danger is from the sea and a lot of my constituency could well disappear.

“Defra has been hit really hard by the rural payments fiasco and the money has had to be found elsewhere in the budget. They have had a rough settlement from the government and there are good reasons to be concerned about the government's commitment to Defra and the countryside.

“Maybe these floods are a wake up call but the devil is going to be in the detail,” he added.

Steve Wheatley, the Environment Agency's flood manager for the Anglian region, said the region had lost out following a funding change which saw cash handed out based on national priorities.

“Overall it would help if there was more money for flood risk management and we do manage with a limited pot,” he said.

Are Norfolk's MPs really going to vote to reward the audit-failing EU with an extra £2.5bn a year, while their county is under threat of disappearing underwater unless there is greater investment in flood defences?

Henry Bellingham MP, at least, has confirmed that he will vote to block the EU budget deal while there are such urgent and crucial local needs for extra investment.

But what about Norfolk's other MPs? Should the worst happen, are they going to risk being seen to have taken a terrible decision with scarce public money, and to have massively betrayed their constituents' interests?

Flood defence projects on hold

Flood defence schemes have been postponed due to government funding cutbacks, it is being claimed today.

The Environment Agency says it will need to spend £750m a year over the next three years to protect areas threatened by floods.

The amount offered by the government falls short, meaning a number of projects have been put on hold.

These include a £100m scheme for Leeds, and plans to replace York's defences, which have been deemed inadequate.

The limited funding comes despite insurers, the National Audit Office and the Environment Agency warning that more spending on flood defences is needed.

Andrew Waller, a member of the Environment Agency's north-east region flood defence committee said: "We need to be spending a lot more than we are now.

"Flood defence spending is not keeping pace with increased demand for flood defences due to climate change.

"We will end up with a situation where more and more areas are not being covered."

In fact, the Environment Agency estimates that it needs £150m a year over the next ten years just to bring its existing assets up to standard.

Tim Kersley, head of asset management at the agency, said it is doing a lot with its funding.

But he said flood protection needs are increasing over and above the budget increases it has received.

He said: "All commentators agree we need more funding to adequately protect the community.

"We currently invest about £500m per year on flood risk management. Over the next three years we need to spend three-quarters of a billion per year."

"As the impacts of climate change bites we will need to spend nearer £1bn per year."

To deal with climate change by 2010, with inflation, the agency needs to invest £750m a year on flood risk management, the Environment Agency says.

Leeds: Environment Agency said no to Leeds flood defences

A vital £100m flood defence plan to protect Leeds city centre was shelved by the Environment Agency only six months ago, it has been revealed - according to the Yorkshire Evening Post.

The scheme would have seen a series of defences built along the River Aire to protect businesses and residents from exactly the kind of heavy rainfall which struck on Monday.

The project was under development by the Environment Agency for a number of years before being shelved in January for at least three years due to financial pressures.

It would have included "washland or flood storage areas" further upstream of the river.

Meanwhile, a separate scheme to protect Wakefield residents from the waters of Ings Beck, a tributary of the River Calder, was also "delayed indefinitely" earlier this year, it has emerged.

The revelations came as opposition parties in Parliament said the government has slashed flood protection budgets and ignored warnings that defences were inadequate.

Details of the ditched Leeds city centre flood defence scheme were revealed in an urgent email sent yesterday by Leeds City Council to MPs.

Leeds East Labour MP George Mudie swiftly raised the issue in the Commons chamber.

The email, sent by Louise Tonkinson, the council's acting head of corporate communications, warned that the ditched plan was to "identify and build defences in some of the city's worst at-risk areas".

She also revealed that the council was "urgently seeking information" about the progress of a flood defence scheme for Wyke Beck in the east of the city.

More the 30 households had to be evacuated due flooding from the beck on Monday - it is the third time in just over three years that it is flooded.

Mr Mudie questioned Environment Secretary David Miliband, as the cabinet minister delivered an emergency statement on the devastating flooding in Yorkshire and the Midlands.

Mr Mudie asked: "Can the minister review the decision of the Environment Agency to shelve the £100m scheme which was designed to protect Leeds city centre?

"Could he also ask the Environmental Agency to expedite the Wyke Beck scheme in my constituency which will help alleviate flooding in an area which has been flooded three times in three years to the great distress of hundreds of people?"

Mr Miliband said Mr Mudie had made "an important point" and pledged to "take up those issues with the environment agency and write to him as soon as possible".

Leeds city council is to meet the Environment Agency next month to demand that the protection plans are put back on the table.

Council leader Mark Harris "Whilst this scheme would not have prevented much of the flooding in other areas of the city, it would have protected people and businesses from flooding in the city centre.

"We have got to have an effective scheme in place to protect people and businesses from flooding."

Meanwhile, Wakefield Labour MP Mary Creagh also revealed a crucial flood protection scheme had also been shelved in her constituency.

She said: "In January I received a letter from the local Environment Agency informing me that the Flood Alleviation Scheme for Ings Beck, a tributary of the River Calder, would be delayed indefinitely. It was supposed to be completed earlier this year."

She added: "Wakefield is now flooded for the second time in two weeks, many A-roads are affected, the East Coast Mainline is shut, and the M1 and the M62 motorways are both greatly affected as they follow the path of the rivers Calder, the Aire and Hebble that run through my constituency."

Leeds: Fresh call for city flood defence

Council chiefs are to call for a £100m flood defence scheme in West Yorkshire to be resurrected following the recent severe weather.

The Leeds scheme was shelved three years ago by the Environment Agency, which said it was too costly.

On Monday parts of the city centre were flooded, causing the railway station and several roads to close.

Council leader Mark Harris said he was worried about the effect of further flooding on the city's economy.

He said: "Last night, many parts of the city's central area were flooded for the first time in living memory.

"The train station was closed and severe traffic disruption had a major impact on business continuity as well as putting city centre shoppers, workers and residents at risk."

The Environment Agency had planned to build defences along the River Aire, which flows through the city centre.

Mr Harris said: "This recent flood event has only served to underline the need for this scheme to be brought back on track urgently.

"The recent flooding was unique and unprecedented.

"Whilst this scheme would not have prevented much of the flooding in other areas of the city, it would have protected people and businesses from flooding in the city centre.

"Floods can have a serious impact on the city's economy and infrastructure and we cannot have a situation where the city centre, which is the heart of the city's economic performance, is being put at risk."

Mr Harris said he planned to meet with the chief executive of the Environment Agency next month to request that the scheme go ahead.

Flood defences 'lack maintenance'

Homes and businesses in England may be at risk of flooding because the Environment Agency is not doing enough, a watchdog has said.

The National Audit Office (NAO) said the agency had not met its target of maintaining 63% of the country's flood defences in peak condition.

MPs called on the agency to explain why less than half of England's high risk defences were found in peak condition.

The watchdog found large regional differences in the proportion of defences in high risk areas which were at peak condition - from 18% in the South West to 60% in the South.

There were also big differences in the money spent on maintaining the defences.

The NAO report said the agency had taken on greater responsibility for flood risk in England, including the management of important rivers.

The agency had protected more people by improving the standard of flood protection for 100,000 homes between 2003/04 and 2005/06, the watchdog said.

However, it said since 2001 the general condition of defences had not improved significantly.

The all-party committee of MPs, the Public Accounts Committee, said more money should go towards "protecting towns and cities, rather than empty fields".

The Environment Agency has estimated that it would need an extra £150m a year to bring all flood defence systems up to their peak condition.

MPs must be challenged to explain where this much-need extra investment is going to come from, before they can offer any justification for an intention to approve the EU budget deal and vote billions of pounds extra a year to a wasteful body like the EU.

York: Fears for city as funding cuts force review of flooding defences

A review of York’s flood defences is under way as concerns grow that the city could be put at risk by multi-million pound cuts in government funding – reports the Yorkshire Post.

The Environment Agency is currently battling to make multi-million pound cuts to meet government deadlines.

York Council has launched the review of contingency plans put in place in the wake of the 2000 disaster to ensure the flood-prone city is adequately protected while having to contend with the planning financial cuts.

The River Ouse burst its banks earlier this month following torrential downpours and parts of the city remained under water this week.

Chairman of the council’s scrutiny management committee Madeleine Kirk said: "There is a financial crisis in Westminster and vital defences in York look as though they could be put at risk. We can only hope that any reduction in funding does not have disastrous consequences for the people of York."

"It seems ludicrous that at a time when we are being warned of the danger of global warming the government is looking to reduce funding for flood prevention."

Banbury: Plea for anti-flood cash fails

A flood-prevention scheme for Banbury has failed to secure vital Government funding, preventing the project from going ahead - reports the Banbury Cake.

Since 1998, when the town last flooded, the Environment Agency has been working on a scheme to protect against a repeat occurance.

But the main part of the scheme, set to cost £12m, depended on support from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to go ahead.

Facing competition from flood-prevention schemes around the country, Banbury's bid for funding has not been successful.

Richard Harding, the Environment Agency's project manager for the scheme, said: "We are aware this will disappoint people hoping for the protection a scheme like this would have provided.

"We believed this was a perfectly viable scheme."