Leader Bill Revans has welcomed today’s news that Somerset Council will receive £50m from the Government to invest in flood resilience and prevention schemes.
The announcement from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), follows a visit made by Floods Minister Emma Hardy to Somerset in February during the major incident declared after Storm Chandra.
Cllr Bill Revans, Leader of Somerset Council, said:
We’d like to thank the Minister for visiting Somerset during the major incident and meeting with the Council, our partners and residents.
We are pleased the Government has listened to our calls for urgent action and welcome this vital investment into the future of Somerset.
This winter has shown how Somerset’s unique environment is particularly susceptible to the impacts of climate change and it is clear we must help our communities to adapt and become more resilient.
We will work closely with partners, including the Environment Agency, Somerset Rivers Authority, Internal Drainage Board, Natural England and, most importantly, our local communities, to ensure these funds are invested wisely to provide lasting benefits for years to come.
Somerset Council will use the £50m funding to develop a 2-year programme of works to reduce flood risk, improve preparedness and strengthen long-term resilience.
Some of the emerging themes will include reviewing and learning from recent flood events across Somerset, engineering and infrastructure improvements in high-risk areas, natural flood management schemes, support for property-level flood protection, and improved collaboration with local communities.
The next step will be to develop proposals and engagement before any schemes are taken forward for delivery.
Cllr Revans added:
This is a fantastic opportunity and we know our communities will want to input into the programme to ensure we are taking full advantage of the funding.
We’re at a very early stage and we look forward to engaging with our residents and businesses as we develop a clear plan for delivery.
