Defra Minister’s pledge to Yorkshire flooding victims: ‘I’m on your side’ – Yorkshire Post Letters

I READ with interest your editorial (The Yorkshire Post, January 6), calling for there to be a dedicated Minister for flooding and for a Yorkshire-wide summit on the topic.

This Minister is in deeper water over non-response to floods in region – The Yorkshire Post says

As the Floods Minister, I can assure The Yorkshire Post’s readers how seriously we take the issue, which is why in August last year I hosted a flooding summit in the Calder Valley – covered by this newspaper – held a similar virtual event with South Yorkshire leaders in October 2020 and met with MPs and the leader of the City of York Council late last year.

Flooding does not recognise county boundaries, which is why we have taken a geographical approach, allowing us to speak directly with affected communities and understand their needs.

This financial year, we are investing over £146m in 150 flood schemes across the four counties in Yorkshire – the highest for any area in the country – and it is consistently a top priority for investment with over half a billion pounds invested since 2015.

We know how devastating flooding can be, which is why we are working hard to better protect thousands more homes and businesses.

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