YP Comment: Region's needs must be heard

A lack of urgency, a sense of drift and a reluctance to commit sufficient funds to protecting the North – whilst the South-East received the resources it needed – did nothing to engender confidence that ministers took the issue of flooding anything like seriously enough.

And although both the Prime Minister and most of the Cabinet have changed tack since then, the air of suspicion lingers that flood protection is still not being treated as urgently as it demands.

That is the only conclusion to be drawn from the hiatus between last July and yesterday over the continuation of ministers as flooding envoys, to ensure that there are voices within the Government holding it to account and pressing the case for protection.

The announcement that envoys are to continue in post is to be welcomed, and praise is due to the Environmental Audit Committee, chaired by Wakefield MP Mary Creagh, for its persistence in persuading the Government of their value.

But it should not have been necessary for the committee to make the case, especially after its finding that long-term flood planning was deficient and the Government needed to do more.

Thankfully, this winter so far has brought no repeat of the 2015 floods to Yorkshire. Nevertheless, the flooding envoys need to speak up for this region and press the Government to provide proper resources for planning and defences.