Flooding summit must be for all of Yorkshire as promised, MPs tell Government

Barnsley Central MP and Sheffield City Region Mayor Dan Jarvis tonight led a House of Commons debate in which he implored ministers to "provide an exceptional boost above and beyond" its current funding plans for anti-flood measures in the region.

It comes after The Yorkshire Post reported how the Government will finally meet leaders of South Yorkshire areas stricken by devastating flooding nearly a year ago, following repeated pleas to speed up investment in defences.

Mr Javis told the House of Commons that the summit, due to be held next month, was not a "silver bullet".

He said: "It's no substitute for the hard strategy and funding commitments that we need but it will be an important way of focusing minds and bringing Government and stakeholders together to co-ordinate a long-term, coherent response."

In the debate, Holly Lynch and Rachael Maskell, Labour MPs for Halifax and York Central respectively, both spoke of the need for the summit to be Yorkshire-wide.

Mr Jarvis has been demanding a top-level meeting since November last year after more than 1,000 homes and 564 businesses were affected by flooding, including in Fishlake and Bentley near Doncaster.

Then in February this year Mr Eustice committed to holding a summit to discuss the chaos caused around various parts of the region from repeated flooding.

Areas in all four corners of Yorkshire have suffered flooding in recent years, including Calderdale, Leeds, Doncaster, York and East Cowick.

Ms Lynch said: "If I'm not mistaken there was a Yorkshire-wide flood summit promised, following not least the devastating flooding we experienced in Calderdale in addition to flooding we saw in the area of North Yorkshire.

"We were promised a Yorkshire-wide flood summit, so while I really welcome the progression that (Mr Jarvis) has made on that South Yorkshire flood summit, would he agree with me that we need that conversation for the rest of the region?"

Mr Jarvis replied: "I absolutely do agree with my honourable friend and I think she makes an important point - the original concept of this flood summit was that it would be done across the county of Yorkshire..."

He added: "If it is just for South Yorkshire, what are the plans to ensure that the rest of Yorkshire gets the support that they need from Government as well?"

Ms Maskell pressed Rebecca Pow MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, to confirm that a Yorkshire-wide summit would take place or say whether there would be separate events for different areas, but she would not be drawn on the issue and said she wanted to talk about measures that had been taken across the region.

Earlier, Mr Jarvis said: "As another flooding season begins, we do not have the resources we need to protect our region.

"So I ask the Government not just to confirm the current draft MTP (Medium Term Plan), but to provide an exceptional boost above and beyond it to fully fund our proposals."

He also repeated an invitation for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to attend the summit, saying "his presence would, I think, be an important sign to the people of Yorkshire that he recognises the scale of the theat and is working to address it."

In her statement, Ms Pow said: "(Mr Jarvis) will know that we have spoken a number of times over the last few months. He cannot say I have not engaged with him, nor indeed can the honourable members on the other side. I have been listening."

She said that the delay in organising the summit was because of the General Election and coronavirus but was looking forward to "properly discussing" the issue, which is "very high priority" for Government.

The Government previously said it has already built 59 new flood defences in Yorkshire since 2015, "better protecting 13,200 homes, and nationally we will double our investment to £5.2bn".

The confirmation date for the South Yorkshire flooding summit comes after campaigning by The Yorkshire Post and Mr Jarvis.