MARTIN BLASTS LABOUR FLOODS BILL (Cheltenham Liberal Democrats)

Cheltenham Liberal Democrats <info@cheltlibdems.org.uk>

MARTIN BLASTS LABOUR FLOODS BILL

September 23, 2009 4:34 PM

TALKING TO THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT FLOODS FORUM at his party's annual conference, Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood has condemned the Labour government's proposed floods bill as "a complete mess". He was speaking following the damning report on the draft bill by the Commons Environment Food & Rural Affairs select committee. But he rejected calls to delay the bill altogether, until after the coming General Election.

Martin said "people in Gloucestershire and flood-affected areas across the country simply won't find it acceptable to delay even longer. We will have waited two and a half years before this bill is actually presented to Parliament and there will barely be time to get it through before the coming General Election. More delays will mean critical delays in the co-ordination of flood response and prevention locally and across the UK."

But Martin highlighted many areas that were not being addressed in the bill: "There are no answers on the critical issues of planning and insurance and how we'll pay for flood prevention. Why, two and a half years after the floods, are councils still not able to prevent major developments on flood plains or even insist that plug sockets are installed in new houses at waist height? Why are people still having to argue with insurance companies about exorbitant premiums, skyrocketing excess charges and unreasonable exclusions? And why haven't we got a long-term plan to build up spending on flood alleviation to the levels needed over the next 15 years in the face of increasing risks from climate change? The combination of these factors could mean tens of thousands of new homes across the country will be uninsurable. Labour have lost the opportunity to act when they had the time and lost the opportunity to spend on flood defences when they had the money. And thousands of us could pay the price when the next floods come."