I fear Calderdale floods are forcing me out of business – Yorkshire Post Letters

From: Steven Lord, Brighouse.
Steven Lord surveys the ruins of his flood-hit gallery.Steven Lord surveys the ruins of his flood-hit gallery.
Steven Lord surveys the ruins of his flood-hit gallery.

I OWN the Harrison Lord Gallery, in Brighouse. The Calder Valley, where I am situated, has once again been badly affected by devastating flooding.

My business has suffered considerable loss due to this flooding and may not be able to continue, given the damage and difficulties securing insurance. Read more: Flooding funding drops by £7m in Yorkshire despite major rise in extreme weather

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These violent storms are becoming more normal. We cannot prevent them, but I feel it is important to put money into making homes and businesses in the Calder Valley more resilient to the effects of flooding.

Steven Lord inspects the damage to his gallery.Steven Lord inspects the damage to his gallery.
Steven Lord inspects the damage to his gallery.
Read More
Flood prevention and how best to protect small businesses – Mark Barlow

I was appalled to discover that the Environment Agency’s flood funding formula is based on property values, meaning that nearly two-thirds of the £2.6bn budget goes towards areas around London. Calderdale has a high incidence of flooding due to its location. However, because of its relatively low house values, the EA funding is not adequate.

The council’s chief executive, Robin Tuddenham, is lobbying for an urgent review of the funding because he feels, like me, that this is a grossly unfair system. Once again, we appear to have a North-South divide and it’s about time the “all-inclusive government” took note.

From: Diane Haigh, Scalby Mills Road, Scarborough.

I AM amazed that our Prime Minister has agreed to commit such a vast sum – at least £108bn – on a high-speed rail link between London and maybe Birmingham only when so many people across the country are desperately fighting to save their homes and towns from being inundated. Where is the logic in this? We are told that many victims of previous flooding are still awaiting the release of funding to protect their homes and businesses and this number will be added to by the recent floods.

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More importantly, it would seem that a great deal of energy and strategic thinking is needed in order to address future flood-proofing and prevention. The Yorkshire Post is doing its utmost to raise the level of debate about flooding to a national level, but sadly I wonder if the right people are listening – or aware of the plight of the people who voted them into power?