Government’s plan to turn the tide on Yorkshire flooding misery: Rebecca Pow

In July 2019, intense flash flooding hit the Yorkshire Dales and led to the collapse of Grinton Moor Bridge, between Reeth and Leyburn.

Later the same year, a month’s worth of rain fell across South Yorkshire in 24 hours, leading to 1,500 properties along the River Don being flooded.

February 2020 was the wettest on record in Yorkshire, with flooding in the village of Mytholmroyd in West Yorkshire devastating homes and businesses.

But since 2015, we have invested more in flood defences for Yorkshire than for any other region – with £496m being spent to protect more than 66,000 properties.

This includes the new £41m Mytholmroyd Flood Alleviation Scheme, which has been completed to better protect 400 homes and businesses.

In York, £45m is being invested to better protect 2,000 local homes and businesses, with an additional £38m used to upgrade the Foss Barrier and surrounding infrastructure.

The benefits of these schemes are already being felt, and all works on the Foss Barrier upgrade are due to be fully completed this autumn.

In the past 75 years, there have been three major tidal surge flooding incidents in Hull – in 1953, 1969 and then in December 2013 when 264 properties were flooded after the defences were overtopped.

But we’re turning the tide here too with a major flood alleviation scheme to improve protection against climate change and sea level rise.

The Hull Frontage Flood Defence Improvements Scheme was completed in March this year to better protect the city from both climate change and sea level rise.

The scheme is part of £200m investment in flood risk management across Hull and East Yorkshire, with 13,000 homes in the area now better protected from flooding.

Of course, there is more to do. Whilst they were spared this year, towns like Fishlake and Hebden Bridge understandably fear a repeat of the devastation brought about in 2019.

That is why we are doubling our investment in flood defences to a record £5.2bn between now and 2027.

The first wave includes £146.1m to invest in over 150 schemes across Yorkshire.

In Hebden Bridge, £4.4m will be invested in the development of a scheme that will provide greater protection to nearly 400 properties.

Every part of Yorkshire and Humber will benefit, with conventional walls and embankments, improved flood water storage, and action to harness the power of nature to slow the flow of water and reduce risk.

In Leeds, more than £110m is being invested in the construction of the second phase of the city’s flood alleviation schemes, delivering new defence walls, embankments and natural flood management to better protect homes and businesses along the River Aire.

It is vitally important we make the best decisions about the actions we take and the investments we make, especially for areas that have suffered repeated flooding in recent years.

That is why this autumn, the Government will look at how better protection for frequently flooded communities can be achieved, following a call for evidence earlier this year.

It will consider how to strengthen the assessment of local circumstances, such as instances where areas have flooded on multiple occasions, when allocating funding during our six-year plan.

Our record investment and ambitious policies are better protecting homes, schools, hospitals and businesses, but we also recognise that we cannot prevent flooding entirely, which is why we will ensure that communities at high risk are more resilient.

New guidance for local planning authorities, designed to drive up compliance with planning rules, will reaffirm that they must refer planning decisions to Ministers when the Environment Agency is sustaining an objection on flood risk.

Under the plans, the Government will also consider how planning decisions in areas at risk from surface water flooding could be subject to the equivalent rules in future.

We also making a raft of improvements to Flood Re, the UK-wide scheme which helps homes at risk of flood secure insurance cover.

This will allow households that are flooded to claim extra money to install property flood resilience measures – like air brick covers, flood doors and flood-resistant paint – and benefit from discounted insurance premiums if they have these fitted.

These measures will ensure that Yorkshire and Humber is more resilient in the long term.

Rebecca Pow is the Floods Minister and a Tory MP.

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