Labour has today pledged to establish a Flood Resilience
Taskforce that will meet every winter ahead of the peak season
for flooding.
The COBRA-style taskforce will coordinate flooding
preparation and resilience between central government, local
authorities, local communities, and emergency services.
It will ensure that vulnerable areas are identified and
protected – including drainage systems, flood defences and
natural flood management schemes in communities, completed on
time. The taskforce will also provide accountability for progress
on flood prevention in areas at risk before floods take place.
The Government’s failure to act against the risk of floods has
cost the economy nearly £4 billion pound since 2010, new analysis
from Labour has found. Four major floods have hit Britain since
2010 costing £3.8 billion pounds with thousands of homes
destroyed, businesses decimated, and agriculture
dilapidated.
Years of Conservative complacency have left communities
up and down the country unnecessarily exposed to
flood damage. The Government slashed the resources
of the Environment Agency – the agency tasked with flood
preparedness and response - by two-thirds since 2010, leaving
families and businesses to pay the price for extreme
floods.
One in six UK properties are now at risk of flooding.
The Environment Agency estimate that the number of at-risk homes
could double by 2050 due to the impact of climate change, which
is leading to more volatile weather patterns, more intense
rainfall, and more floods.
The next Labour Government will also appoint a Minister for
Resilience within the Cabinet Office and overhaul local
resilience forums, so they are more ready to respond to
emergencies such as floods.
Rather than following Labour's lead the Government has ignored
the problem, leaving communities all over the UK exposed to
the dangers of flooding. Communities who are preparing for a
difficult winter around the UK should be given confidence that if
the worst comes to worst, there is a plan in place to coordinate
responses and keep people, their homes, and their businesses
safe.
This week Environment Secretary was slammed by residents in
Retford, a flood hit community, due to the lack of preparation
from the government despite floods hitting the same community in
2007. One resident said, “you will go way again, nothing will
happen, and it will be swept under the carpet.”
, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of
State for the Environment, said:
“My heart goes out to all families and businesses whose lives and
livelihoods have been damaged by these floods.
“The Conservatives’ sticking-plaster approach has left
communities devastated and cost the economy billions of pounds.
“In government, Labour will set up a Flood Resilience Taskforce
that meets before every winter to make sure there is better
coordination between national and local government and emergency
services on the ground, so we give communities and local
economies far better protection against flood damage.”
Ends
Notes
|
Major flood
|
Estimated economic cost
|
|
Winter floods 2012
|
£600,000,000
|
|
Winter floods 2013-14
|
£1,300,000,000
|
|
Winter floods 2015-16
|
£1,600,000,000
|
|
Winter floods 2019-20
|
£333,000,000
|
|
Total
|
£3,833,000,000
|
