Suffolk County Council is set on major investment to further protect Suffolk from flooding as it calls on the Government to step up.
The council has today announced its intention to invest another £1.5 million to carry out important flooding prevention work.
The commitment follows initial flood investigation reports revealing that an additional £20 million is required to complete the work – an amount beyond the county council’s budget. As a result, the council has written to Flooding Minister Emma Hardy MP, urging the government to step in and cover the funding shortfall.
Examples of the kind of projects that could be delivered include:
- Creating flood water retention ponds in land above villages and green spaces within communities to capture water and slow the flow into residential areas
- Installing flood doors and non-return valves on drains to stop water entering properties that are particularly at risk of flooding
- Help landowners with advice and guidance, especially those within responsibilities to maintain ditches and streams on their properties (known as ‘riparian ownership’)
- Bolstering Suffolk Highways’ resources to deliver planned and reactive maintenance on the county’s roads and footpaths
Councillor Paul West, Cabinet Member for Operational Highways and Flooding, said: “Since Storm Babet, our teams have been working hard to repair the damage it caused, investigate what happened and to help reduce the flood risk in future. This preventative work is complex, costly and requires lots of agencies work together.
“Despite limited resources and budgetary challenges facing all county councils, we have managed to find extra money to tackle flooding and propose investing a further £1.5 million to deliver work identified in our investigations. However, this isn’t enough and – so steep is the challenge facing areas like Suffolk, who were hit hard by Storm Babet – the government must act and provide extra funding. This is why we’ve written to the Flooding Minister asking for additional money. The government needs to step up to the plate and help us ensure Suffolk’s residents don’t face uncertainty when these extreme weather events occur.
“I saw firsthand how devastating the impact of Storm Babet was for many families and businesses across Suffolk. The finished flood investigation reports give us a clear understanding of what work needs to be done and at what cost. It is right that we continue to increase our resources appropriately, but unless the government acts too we will not be able to go as far as our residents deserve.”
Between October 18th and 21st last year, Storm Babet hit Suffolk, causing significant flooding and widespread disruption. In just 24 hours, the region experienced a month’s worth of rainfall, leading to the flooding of over 900 homes and businesses. The severity of the storm required an immediate and coordinated response from multiple agencies.
So far, Suffolk County Council has committed more than £13.75 million for work to aid recovery from Storm Babet.
As part of their continued commitment to reduce flood risk, Suffolk County Council has:
- Already committed £12.25 million, including:
- £1 million on bringing in additional flood investigation specialists
- £1.25 million for repairs to Suffolk’s highways following the flood damage
- £10 million funding, which was committed in 2021, to address long-standing drainage issues over three years. This complements £2 million a year invested in drainage repairs and improvements funded from the Department for Transport maintenance grant
- Completed seven location-based flood investigations, with an estimated 50 to complete. This compares to an average of three or four investigations in an average year. These reports provide a detailed account of events for each flooding location and recommendations for other organisations, landowners, businesses and residents
- Carried out extensive works on Suffolk’s highways. Specifically:
- Cleared 96% of highway drainage gullies across Suffolk, more than 111,000. This involves lifting the iron grates and sucking up the debris that has washed off the roads
- Attended more than 3,500 emergency call outs for flooding related incidents – an unprecedented number. This includes pumping an estimated 2.5million litres of water from the roads, removing 53 tonnes of debris and clearing 121 fallen trees
- Rolled out the DEFRA-funded Recovery Scheme which meant that flooded property owners could apply for up to £5,000 to make their homes and businesses more resilient to future flooding. Suffolk County Council is administering the scheme on behalf of government. Applications are open until April 2025
The new money is set to be agreed by the council’s Cabinet on 5th November.