Foord calls on Government to stop ‘shifting the goalposts’ on flood support

Richard Foord MP has urged the Government to set out criteria for when the Flood Recovery Framework would be activated to help with the aftermath of flooding, after Ministers refused to in the wake of flooding along the River Otter last year.

Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, the Liberal Democrat MP for Tiverton & Honiton called on Ministers to offer more robust flooding support and stressed that information about this support needed to be clearly set out and communicated to local people.

He highlighted the case of the flooding along the Otter Valley that occurred on 9th May last year. This damaged homes and businesses in communities along the river, including at Newton Poppleford, Ottery St Mary, and Tipton St John.

Mr Foord wrote to the Flooding Minister Rebecca Pow in the days after the waters receded, urging the Government to set out what support would be forthcoming from the Government to help with both the clean-up and repair work that was needed.

In her response, Ms Pow said she recognised the damage caused by the flood waters. However, she stated that “the scale of the flooding does not reach the required level to activate the Flood Recovery Framework and give access to central Government funding”.

However, when Storm Henk hit the UK earlier this year, the Government did activate the Flood Recovery Framework and provided support to communities affected – stating that councils needed to have more than 50 properties affected to receive help.

Based on these criteria, East Devon should have qualified for help through the Flood Recovery Framework as 113 properties were affected by the floods, including 55 in the village of Newton Poppleford alone.

Mr Foord has criticised this apparent double standard, claiming Ministers look to be ‘shifting the goalposts’ on when help can be unlocked - and criticising the Government for always seeming to be ‘on the back foot’ when it comes to flooding.

Richard Foord MP said:

“Flooding is far from a one-off event; it is a regular part of our lives here in rural Devon. That’s why it’s so frustrating for both residents and hardworking local Councillors that every time the waters rise, the Government seems to be caught on the back foot.

“Last May we saw serious flooding occur along the River Otter. This caused huge damage and disruption, particularly in Newton Poppleford. I visited the village the day after the waters receded and saw first-hand just how tough the clean-up work was going to be.

“That’s why I wrote to the Flooding Minister, urging her to set out what the Government would be doing to support this work. Almost a month later I got my answer: nothing, because the event was not bad enough to trigger the Flood Recovery Framework.

“The Government provided support for councils with more than 50 properties hit by flooding in the wake of Storm Henk earlier this year. Yet the flooding here in Devon damaged more than 50 properties in Newton Poppleford alone, and we got nothing.

“It seems that once again, Ministers are treating areas inconsistently; instead of setting out a simple framework for support that would help places like those on the River Otter, they’re shifting the goalposts when another flood event catches them unaware.

“This isn’t good enough. We need a robust Flood Recovery Framework, with simple criteria for triggering support – and setting out what that support will be. This is the way to ensure we properly address the aftermath of flooding and support those affected.”