Government must listen to flood-hit communities in order to gain their trust - The Yorkshire Post says

FLOODING has caused immense economic damage and heartache across Yorkshire in recent years, wrecking both homes and businesses.
Flooding at East CowickFlooding at East Cowick
Flooding at East Cowick

Yet despite the glaring need for adequate measures to protect both, the Government’s response has consistently fallen short, leaving communities large and small gripped by the fear of what might befall them every time there is heavy rainfall or a thaw after snowfall.

Today’s announcement of further support for flood resilience measures is to be welcomed, focusing as it does on discounted insurance premiums, extra money for residents who install protection and funding for frequently inundated areas.

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They are all moves in the right direction, yet Yorkshire residents and businesses will reserve judgement until they see the details of exactly what is on offer, because successive Governments have a long history of offering much then delivering too little.

In particular, the call for evidence about how to protect frequently flooded areas jars with the Government’s failure to convene a region-wide summit on the issue, which this newspaper has called for consistently for many years.

Flood-hit communities have a mass of evidence to offer, and are only too willing to pass it on, but by its reluctance to take a regional approach, the Government does not make the best use of the knowledge of those on the ground.

It is good news that the Government is acting to help flood-hit communities, but if it is to win their confidence, it must demon t must demonstrate a willingness to listen much more attentively.

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