Earby set to share in £22m. flood defence scheme

The news comes on the same day the Government also published a long-term plan to tackle the risks of flooding and coastal erosion for the future.

Earby will be one of the beneficiaries, with £1.32m. of the £22m. worth of improvements to the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme set to help the town and surrounding area, providing an immediate boost to jobs supporting the local economy.

The Government's long-term flooding strategy - the most comprehensive package of measures in a decade - includes investment of £5.2 billion to create around 2,000 new flood and coastal defences that will better protect 336,000 properties in England by 2027, alongside support to help households and businesses get back on their feet more quickly after flooding.

Up to £170m of this has been brought forward to accelerate work on ‘shovel-ready’ flood defence schemes to begin construction in 2020 or 2021.

Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson said: “This is great news for Earby which will benefit from improved flood defences once works to the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme is completed. I’m also pleased to see that other projects will be receiving funding in nearby areas, such as Padiham and Calder Valley.”

“I very much welcome the Government’s commitment to invest in infrastructure to unite and level up the country as we come through the coronavirus pandemic. The £5 billion to bring forward infrastructure projects of all types announced by the Prime Minister, from flood defences to schools and roads, will help create new jobs and opportunities across Britain.

“Although this is good news for Earby, I will be continuing to push for more funding for other schemes particularly to protect the town, its residents and local businesses.”

The money is part of a wider £5 billion package of accelerated capital investment announced last week by the Prime Minister in a speech setting out his economic strategy to support jobs and get Britain building, with overall investment in the nation’s future prosperity set to exceed £600 billion over the next five years.

In total, the Government’s flooding strategy will see the delivery of flood and coastal defences by 2027 that will prevent £32bn in economic damage, as well as creating areas to store water during flooding and greater use of nature-based solutions to reduce flood risk.

It also sets out proposed changes to the joint government and insurance industry Flood Re scheme to lower premiums on properties that invest in flood resilience measures and allow claims to include an additional amount so that flood resilience measures are included in repairs.