New £50million flood fund “a fantastic opportunity” for Somerset
The Government has given Somerset Council £50 million to help Somerset’s homes, farms and businesses better withstand the growing threat of flooding.
Earlier this year, Somerset experienced its second wettest January since records began in 1871. A third of the month’s rain fell in just two days. At the peak of Storm Chandra, near the end of the month, 1.2million cubic metres of water per hour was travelling down the River Tone and River Parrett catchments towards the Somerset Levels and Moors.
Somerset Council declared a Major Incident. Around 100 properties were reported being flooded inside, however, existing defences, deployed pumps and Environment Agency teams working around the clock meant that a further 2,860 properties were protected from flooding.
The purpose of the Government’s £50 million investment is to follow up on that protective work by funding a range of flood resilience measures.
Somerset Council says it will use the £50 million to develop a two-year programme of initiatives to reduce flood risk, improve preparedness and strengthen long-term resilience.
Some of the council’s emerging themes include reviewing and learning from recent flood events across Somerset, engineering and infrastructure improvements in high-risk areas, natural flood management schemes, support for property-level flood protection, and improved collaboration with local communities.
The aim is to reduce the burden on emergency responders and help communities withstand future incidents.
Somerset is also one of England’s most important agricultural counties, and repeated flooding threatens the viability of farming communities across the region. Through helping farms better withstand extreme weather, the Government wants its investment to help protect rural livelihoods and to help prevent the rising food costs that flooding can cause throughout the supply chain.
Floods Minister Emma Hardy visited Somerset in February: she is pictured in the centre of the photograph at the top of this page.
Ms Hardy said: “Somerset has faced the full force of extreme weather this year, which I saw when I visited earlier this year.
“The communities here deserve more than a temporary fix which is why this government is investing this £50 million funding in the protection of homes, farms and livelihoods in Somerset for years to come.”
Councillor Bill Revans, Leader of Somerset Council, pictured left in the photograph at the top of this page, said: “We’d like to thank the Minister for visiting Somerset during the major incident and meeting with the Council, our partners and residents.
“We are pleased the Government has listened to our calls for urgent action and welcome this vital investment into the future of Somerset.
‘This winter has shown how Somerset’s unique environment is particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change and it is clear we must help our communities to adapt and become more resilient.
“We will work closely with partners, including the Environment Agency, Somerset Rivers Authority, Internal Drainage Boards, Natural England and, most importantly, our local communities, to ensure these funds are invested wisely to provide lasting benefits for years to come.”
Somerset Council says its next step will be to develop proposals and engagement before any schemes are taken forward for delivery.
Cllr Revans added: “This is a fantastic opportunity and we know our communities will want to input into the programme to ensure we are taking full advantage of the funding. We’re at a very early stage and we look forward to engaging with our residents and businesses as we develop a clear plan for delivery.”