Flood Defences: West Worcestershire

Opened the debate

In her speech, Harriett Baldwin highlighted the frequent flooding issues in her constituency of West Worcestershire due to rivers such as the River Severn, Avon, and Teme. She praised previous funding from the flood recovery fund after recent storms but emphasised ongoing challenges with road closures during wet weather conditions. Baldwin also discussed two stalled flood defence schemes for Tenbury Wells and Severn Stoke, requesting updates on their progress and meetings with relevant officials to address obstacles such as cost overruns and design issues. She expressed concern about continued funding levels under the new government and sought assurances regarding the continuation of the expanded farming recovery fund.

Government Response

In her response, Emma Hardy acknowledged the severity of flooding experienced by communities such as those in West Worcestershire. She committed to protecting communities from flooding as one of DEFRA's top priorities and provided updates on two stalled flood defence schemes: Severn Stoke and Tenbury Wells. For Severn Stoke, she outlined difficulties with funding envelopes not matching scheme costs despite soil provision assistance from Baldwin. Regarding Tenbury Wells, Hardy detailed the complexity of the project due to its potential impact on residents' homes and gardens while emphasising the need for affordability within allocated funds. She also mentioned her review of the flood capital programme inherited from previous governments, addressing challenges like inflation and supply chain disruptions. On Flood Re scheme continuation beyond 2039, she stated a detailed examination was underway to ensure affordable insurance availability across the UK. Lastly, Hardy highlighted plans to create a flood resilience taskforce for better coordination among Government Departments and stakeholders.