CLA responds on Government’s plans to combat flooding

The Government has today announced new long-term plans to tackle flooding.

Following this news, CLA President Mark Bridgeman said:

“It’s encouraging to see government taking another positive step to help combat ongoing problems with flooding. 

“While the pledge focuses on creating new flood and coastal defences to better protect properties, it’s vitally-important that there’s still long-term funding for maintenance of existing flood defence assets, including ring-fenced funding for protection of agricultural land. 

“Farmers and land owners often spot problems with flood defences and maintenance requirements but bureaucracy often prevents early preventative actions. There should be a simpler system enabling farmers to carry out minor flood defence work on their own property to protect their assets and livelihoods.

“The value from flooding land to protect properties and business should be recognised in future land management agreements and build in the soft engineering solutions of trees and other natural features that slow the water flow and can offer natural flood management alongside the hard engineering.” 

The CLA has been lobbying Defra and the Environment Agency on a number of flooding priorities.