Lessons must be learnt from the summer of floods

Andrew Percy today demanded that lessons be learned from the summer of floods that has hit both the north and south of the country, and the cases of localised flooding that many communities on the Isle have experienced

Government Ministers in Whitehall are planning an inquiry into the floods; Andrew is calling for a number of areas of concern to be taken into account:

·Who’s in charge ?: There should be clearer lines of responsibility for preventing flooding and tackling flooding emergencies. Since 2000, there have been at least 25 reports on flooding: and yet no single Government Minister, Department or Agency in charge.
·Building on flood plains: The Government’s building plans and regional targets will mean even more high-density development on floodplains, many of which may be uninsurable or have exorbitant premiums. Such development should not take place unless the safety of both assets and homes can be guaranteed.
·Urban drainage and gully cleaning: “Cinderella” issues such as urban drainage must no longer be neglected. Pressures on town hall budgets in recent years have squeezed highways budgets, leading to cuts in gully cleaning and more localised flooding.
·Emergency funding review: There must be a complete review of the “Bellwin scheme”, a central fund which gives local authorities financial assistance in the aftermath of large-scale emergencies.
·Climate change matters: The Government should make an annual statement on climate change adaptation, which would include evaluation of flood defences.
·Single Number Response. Many residents were unsure as to who they should be calling to report flooding, the Council, Severn Trent, Drainage Boards or the Environment Agency. We need a single number for residents to report flooding issues.

Andrew said:
“Across the country, the emergency services and local authorities have done an immense amount of work in recent weeks to tackle the problems of flooding – from major floods to small-scale incidents. But with a changing climate, we need to learn the lessons.

“There should be clearer lines of responsibility for preventing flooding; we should ensure that drainage matters receive the attention they deserve, sewers and gullies must be better maintained. We must review Whitehall’s plans for reckless building on flood plains - that threaten to become the sink estates of tomorrow. There are few areas in the country where drainage is more important than on the Isle of Axholme and we must act now to prevent serious problems in the future.”

Delight at Bart's House Reprieve

Andrew Percy and the Belgravia Carers Group have welcomed a decision by the Humber Mental Health Trust to delay the possible closure of the Bartholomew House Unit in Goole by between 3-5 years.

The Trust recently went out to consultation on proposals to reduce the number of adult in-patient mental health units in East Yorkshire from 3 to 2 by closing either Barts House of the Buckrose Ward at Bridlington Hospital. The proposal was to increase the amount of care provided in the home and community which the Trust felt would reduce the need for in-patient care.

Andrew says, "The Trust has now met and has decided not to close either of the threatened units for between 3-5 years. Instead the Trust will wait until the East Riding of Yorkshire Primary Care Trust approve funding to set up intensive home treatment and a 24 hour crisis service. As a result both of the units are secure for the next 3-5 years. The Trust has also agreed to carry out a more extensive option appraisal before making further changes. I hope that these will include proposals that will produce a mix of in-patient care and more home treatment.

I am delighted that the Trust has listened to the concerns of local people, which in Goole resulted in 1000 people signing petitions calling for Bart's House to be saved.

The Trust has also very positively decided to develop current user and carer groups within each area to encourage involvement in future service developments and work with existing community transport providers and Trust voluntary services to put in place transport for visitors.

We are obviously deligthed that Barts House has received a reprive but it is important to remember that the battle for Barts could well resume in a few years time. In the meantime the carers and I will be fighting to ensure that the profile of Barts House remains as high as possible. I will be starting up a Friends of Barts House Group which I hope will help to not only keep Barts House in the public domain but also raise money for mental health services locally.



We thank the Trust for listening to local people and we should remember that they are in a very difficult financial position themselves. The Government needs to take mental health care more seriously and ensure that more funding is made available

Shadow Minister Visits Isle Of Axholme to Highlight
Under-Funding Of Local Schools

Andrew Percy and Axholme Central Councillor Liz Redfern welcomed Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Theresa May MP to the Isle this week. Theresa May spent Tuesday afternoon in Epworth where she met pupils and teachers at South Axholme School.

Prospective MP Andrew Percy and local teacher explains, “I am delighted that a high profile Shadow Minister took time out of her busy schedule to visit the Isle. I particularly wanted to highlight with Theresa the unfairness of school funding which places North Lincolnshire schools in the bottom 25% worst funded schools in the country. Government funding currently places our schools 118 out of 149 local authorities, meaning that each pupil receives nearly £200 less per year in funding than an average pupil nationally.

Theresa May was most impressed with South Axholme school and during our visit we were able to observe lessons in dance and technology. We were shown around by Year 11 pupils who told us how mush they valued their time at the school. I was particularly impressed by the links the school has made with schools in Virginia. The success of the school is a credit to teachers, parents and pupils.”

Theresa May MP said, “I would like to thank the pupils who showed us round what is clearly a well organised and successful school. The issue of school funding is something that the Conservative Party will look at as I know many of the schools in my constituency are also poorly funded when compared to the national average. My thanks also go to the Headteacher for allowing us the time to visit.”

Flood Plan Must Be Rejected
Andrew Percy slams Lower Aire Cathment Flood Management Plan

Andrew Percy has slammed Enviornment Agency plans to increase flooding in the Snaith, Airmyn, Rawcliffe and Gowdall area to provide flood relief to West Yorkshire.

Andrew Percy explains, “The Environment Agency is required to produce flood management plans for every river in the UK. The River Aire Catchment Flood Management Plan covers the Lower Aire villages and proposes increasing flooding locally to provide relief to other areas. The Environment Agency accept that these proposals will be of no benefit to people in our area and would actually result in the villages along the River Aire being effectively cut-off during the increased periods of flooding this plan would produce. They further accept that we would lose our regional and national rail links during periods of flooding and that psychological and health problems can be caused by flooding.

Even more galling is the fact that as this area is relatively prosperous it would not score highly on the social flood risk vulnerability index, meaning that local people would be expected to bear much of the burden of preparing for flooding.

The proposals are totally unacceptable and I recently met with East Riding Council Leader Steve Parnaby to express my concerns. The Council’s Cabinet will provide it’s official response to the consultation on July 3rd.

Cllr Parnaby agreed with my assessment that the proposal could cause increased health and emergency planning problems as well as costs for the Council. The Council has agreed to fight the proposals.He also agreed that the proposals have major implications for the future development and sustainability of the area. For example, increased flooding locally could impact negatively on house prices and the development of new businesses including those at centrepoint.

I would urge local residents to join with myself and East Riding Council in fighting these proposals by making their views known to the Envirnment Agency. Residents wishing to comment on the proposals should write to Stuart Jenkinson, Aire CFMP Project Manager, Enviornment Agency, Phoenix House, Global Avenue, Leeds, LS11 8PG or by e-mailing ridingcfmcs@anvironment-agency.gov.uk.”