'No family should have to live in fear of the weather forecast' - says MP Philip Davies

STORM Christoph has been wreaking havoc. Hundreds of homes have been flooded across the country. As usual, the Shipley constituency has been in the eye of the storm.

For those living along the River Aire, this is an annual disruption and the cause of great stress. Every downpour brings uncertainty, fear and disruption to daily life. The prospect of a storm in many parts of the Shipley constituency is more than a temporary inconvenience. Lockdown is not a new concept for some of these residents who are not only trapped by potential floodwater but are unable to sell their homes. 

People who have had the misfortune to be affected by flooding also know water damage and flooding can continue for months after a storm. Locally, the banks of the River Aire have burst in Saltaire’s Roberts Park, at Cottingley Bridge and in Bingley.

Hundreds of residents have faced travel delays, and many have worried about their homes and gardens.

As vaccination centres open across Yorkshire, travel has never been so essential. Following the weather warnings at the expected sites of the River Aire at Cottingley and Shipley, the destruction reported is unfortunately of no surprise. The fire service were called to Castlefields, in Bingley, to pump the water away. Without this service, properties would have been flooded and homes could have been damaged.

It is appalling that families must rely on the emergency services to protect their homes, year in and year out. No one should be forced to play weather-lottery with the place they call home.

It is a credit to the Bingley community that the Bingley Emergency Response Group, founded after the 2015 Boxing Day Flood, have kept a close eye on the situation, helping residents with sandbags and updates.  For many, one or two sandbags are the only defence their entire property has against flooding. This is an issue at Cottingley Bridge where the gardens of some properties run straight down to the river – now submerged in floodwater. Unfortunately, these sandbags must be requested and are often dropped at one central point for collection. As the Government urge against non-essential journeys, this is a problem for residents – many of whom are vulnerable. 

I am told by Flooding Minister, Rebecca Pow MP, that local resilience forums have been a great support to communities across the country. My point, which I will continue to make to the Government, is our homes and communities should not have to rely on local resilience forums every time we have heavy rain. 

Shockingly, Sir James Bevan, Director of the Environment Agency, says the Government have failed to repair half of the flood defences damaged in the last year. I believe February 2020 was the wettest February on record but still did not act as a catalyst for the Government to accelerate the roll out of flood defences.

Unlike the coronavirus emergency, flooding occurs regularly in Britain and cannot be eradicated with a vaccine.

Meanwhile, Bradford Council have approved further housing developments at Derry Hill and Bingley Road, in Menston, sites with a high risk of flooding. Insurance schemes such as Flood Re may act as a re-insurer to cover the additional risk for older properties but no sum of money can alleviate the anxiety of future floods. Crucially, Flood Re does not protect new homes.

As 2020 drew to a close I asked the Leader of the House of Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg, if he would ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to come to the House to make a statement on flooding and to let my constituents know when the Environment Agency’s recommended flood prevention measures for Shipley would be implemented.

These plans could see Castlefields Lane; Old Main Street; Wagon Lane and Ash Grove; Branksome Drive; Hirst Mill; Baildon and Esholt all protected.  After the 2015 floods I met with Bradford Council and the Environment Agency to discuss what measures could be out in place to better defend those flooded areas from future floods.

The Environment Agency put together a document, at my request, suggesting ways to better defend those areas and the cost attached. The total cost of these defences in the Shipley constituency amount to between £9m and £13m. A small price to pay to give my constituents peace of mind. The Government have thus far told me that the cost of the schemes, coupled with the number of properties they would protect, does not represent value for money.

Try telling that that the people who face the threat flooding every time there is heavy rain. I will keep making the case for these flood measures to be implemented. No family should have to live in fear of the weather forecast.