Flood Recovery Framework

Highlights the success of partnerships between local authorities and businesses in Leeds since a major flooding event on Boxing Day 2015. The West Yorkshire flood risk partnership has been instrumental in creating new partnerships for future prevention and recovery.

Welcomes the debate on flood recovery and highlights the need to work with Defra to lobby the Treasury regarding a £500 million business case for managing and maintaining Britain's longest river, the River Severn. Asks if it is possible to pay farmers and landowners to hold onto water now that we are no longer bound by EU regulations. Mentions positive statements from the Member for Montgomeryshire about this opportunity. The MP mentioned the River Severn Partnership's efforts in his constituency, highlighting cross-border challenges and the need for a holistic approach to flood risk management. Paid tribute to his long-serving colleague, discussed the historical context of Shrewsbury's flooding issues, highlighted the formation of a parliamentary caucus for MPs along the River Severn, and stressed the importance of presenting a business case to the Treasury for £500 million to manage Britain's longest river. Emphasised the potential economic benefits through GVA uplifts between £100 billion and £150 billion. Sewage going into rivers is an important issue that has not been touched on. Severn Trent recently announced a special programme to clear up the water around Shrewsbury, but this should be a cross-party issue without politicisation.

My constituency saw devastating flooding to homes and businesses during Storms Babet and Henk. The same areas in Broxtowe are severely damaged each time such storms occur, necessitating action now not just for compensation but also to mitigate future damage. In Nottinghamshire, Storm Babet and Storm Henk hit the area in quick succession. The minister mentioned that businesses were able to receive grants but could not do so twice even if storms occurred in separate years.

In my constituency, flooding has been severe for 18 months with rainfall virtually double the average. The water table is very high leading to multiple problems including groundwater and erosion. Proposes an overarching body to coordinate stakeholders such as water companies, county councils, internal drainage boards, and the Environment Agency. He touched on internal drainage boards and expressed interest in the work of the River Severn Partnership, advocating for collaboration across administrative boundaries.

Ms Hardy highlighted the complexities of flood recovery, criticising arbitrary thresholds for emergency funding. She pointed out that fewer properties are being protected from flooding due to abandoned projects, calling for transparency on project status and advocating a more collaborative approach through a Labour-led flood resilience taskforce. The threshold for flood recovery funds had increased from 25 to 50, which was arbitrary and did not address the issue of properties on either side of a border line having no impact.

He expressed concern about the impact of recent flooding on his Somerset constituency, noting that some homes have been flooded four or more times in six months. He questioned whether new housing developments upstream had a role in speeding up water flow into villages downstream and suggested the Environment Agency's budget for operational management is insufficient at 60% capacity. He also highlighted issues with local authority budgets and highway maintenance, urging the Minister to prioritise operational flood management over environmental activities during extremis. He called for support for farmers and homeowners affected by flooding and questioned the availability of grants.

In an intervention, she welcomed James Heappey's speech.

Mr Foord highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by farmers and communities in Devon due to flooding. He mentioned a serious flood event that affected Newton Poppleford, Ottery St Mary, and Tipton St John on May 9th last year, which saw several homes flooded and a school forced to close for days. Local authorities were unclear about the support available from central Government despite the huge damage caused. Mr Foord emphasised the need for a flood recovery framework that extends further than current criteria, such as requiring at least 50 affected properties, and mentioned the projected increase in high-risk areas of England to over 600,000 by 2055 if no action is taken.

The MP expressed concerns about the Government's failure to use the flood recovery framework effectively for farmers in Cumbria, highlighting that farms across his county are still dealing with the aftermath of Storm Henk despite not qualifying for support. He cited instances where local communities did not meet the minimum requirement of 50 affected properties and pointed out issues such as grant payment cut-off dates, resilience measure timeliness, and environmental agency budget cuts. Additionally, he mentioned the impact on food security due to reduced agricultural productivity and higher prices.