Double standards by key Ministers over flooding response is revealed

SENIOR ministers are today accused of ‘double standards’ after backtracking on promises by Boris Johnson and George Eustice to hold a Yorkshire-wide summit to improve the response to future disasters.

Labour MPs say there needs to be far closer co-operation between key agencies – like Defra, the Environment Agency and local councils – to protect the most vulnerable communities.

They maintain that the decision to downgrade today’s talks, and only cover South Yorkshire, is a missed opportunity to discuss how to improve the response to flooding victims. They also say it is not just about money.

And this view appears to be shared by key ministers after their respective constituencies were affected by flooding in recent years.

Rebecca Pow, now the Floods Minister, made this commitment in the aftermath of the 2015 floods in Somerset when she was standing for election in Taunton Deane and backing calls for a countywide rivers authority.

“I will continue to press the Government to implement a comprehensive and effective flood management strategy that is adequately funded,” she told them.

Ms Pow was also lauded by Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, as “a great campaigner for the environment” during last year’s election campaign.

The Tory leader visited Somerset last November at the same time as Doncaster, and the surrounding area, was counting the cost of its own flooding disaster – and which Mr Johnson said was ‘not a national emergency’.

He told his campaign gathering: “We want to get Brexit done - move this thing forward. We have a great deal ready to go. It’s there - just add water. Stir in pot. Oven ready.”

But when asked whether such comments were appropriate in light of flooding in Yorkshire, Mr Johnson retorted: “Just add hot water.”

Chancellor Rishi Sunak – the Richmond MP – made similar sentiments in the summer of 2019 when part of the Yorkshire Dales were left under several feet of filthy floodwater.

Praising local authorities and volunteers for their response, he posted on Facebook: “I’m working to back that tremendous effort up with support from central government and making sure that all the agencies work together effectively.”

Afetr securing funding for devastated Dales communities through the Government’s Bellwin Scheme, Mr Sunak, the then Treasury chief secretary, added: “My job was to ensure that my colleagues in Government didn’t see this as a small, very localised emergency.”

And George Eustice – the current Environment Secretary – had a similar message for his constituents in Camborne and Redruth this summer after a new report highlighted Cornwall’s vulnerability. He told them: “Working closely with the Environment Agency, local authorities, business and the third sector, we will create a better protected and prepared nation.”

It is almost five years since The Yorkshire Post and its sister titles branded the Government’s response to the 2015 Boxing Day floods in the region as ‘indefensible’.

Last night Halifax MP Holly Lynch urged Ministers to put their own words into action. She said the Government’s reluctance to call meetings of Cobra, the Cabinet’s emergency committee, has affected the response to repeated floods in Calderdale.

She also said there needs to be far more clarity on the responsibility of each agency when a flood occurs. “It is clear we don’t need to persuade Government ministers of the importance of working together across the whole region. It is very disappointing that Yorkshire is not worthy of the same approach when it matters so much to the constituencies of the key ministers.”

She also said the decision not to hold a county-wide summit today was “incredibly disappointing”. She added: “Important decisions were delayed until we could discuss issues like how agencies work together.”

Leeds West MP Rachel Reeves, a senior Shadow Cabinet minister, added: “The Government promised a whole of Yorkshire meeting and that is what is needed – as well as much more urgent and prompt action to protect communities and tackle the causes of climate change.”

And Keith Aspden, the Lib Dem leader of City of York Council, wrote to Mr Eustice to remind the Environment Secretary of the promise he made in February. “As you recognised, flooding is a region wide issue, which must see co-operation across the whole of Yorkshire, so river catchment areas could be considered in their entirety,” he said.

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Meeting ‘must not be one-off’

SHEFFIELD City Region mayor Dan Jarvis today urges Ministers to unlock funding for “shovel-ready schemes”.

He said: “This must not be a one-off session, followed by a return to business as usual.

“This must be the start of a constructive, ongoing dialogue with Defra and the Environment Agency, so alongside local leaders from across Yorkshire, we see action that keeps families and businesses safe.

“The Government must make a start at the Comprehensive Spending Review, by unlocking funding for shovel-ready schemes which will make vital progress in protecting homes and businesses from harm.”

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Thank you

James Mitchinson