This week, I returned to parliament from my constituency of Leeds West where for many people the Christmas period has been dominated by floods which have ruined their homes and businesses.
On Boxing Day night, the River Aire which runs through the Yorkshire Dales to Leeds and then on to East Yorkshire, showed its tremendous force and burst its banks following days of heavy rain. Across Leeds, around 2,000 homes and 400 business have been submerged or severely damaged by the floods.
I have been deeply moved to see the solidarity and self-sacrifice of public service workers, civic leaders and community volunteers as they pulled together over the Christmas period to help those in most urgent need and begin to clear up the damage. It is at times of adversity that we often see communities at their strongest – and we are reminded that together we can achieve so much more than any one of us could alone.
But as we hope that the worst of the weather is over and the waters are receding, the work of rebuilding has barely begun. Immediate support is required to get communities back on their feet, with businesses trading again and people back in their homes and back to work, as soon as possible.
The government has announced £50m of support to flood affected areas across the north of England. But we need assurance that this will adequately support all those in need.
We need to look to the longer term too. First, on flood insurance. Small businesses who will struggle through loss of revenue and huge costs as they deal with flood damage cannot be hit by huge, unaffordable premiums in the months ahead.
Flood Re will come into force in April of this year, and this is a hugely welcome scheme that will ensure that most residential properties at highest risk of flooding will be able to access affordable insurance. But this does nothing to help small businesses.
While the variety of businesses may make an equivalent Flood Re scheme difficult, that is not an excuse for doing nothing.
The repair process itself creates an opportunity for businesses to increase flood resilience and resistance. Flood doors, air-brick seals, waterproof coatings and other measures which can help keep water out of buildings, reduce damage and make future repairs quicker and easier, will ultimately help a business access affordable insurance in the future. It is critical that adequate funds are made available for Resilience Repair, on top of the £50m available for immediate support.
Second, on flood defence. Nothing like this has ever happened in my constituency before. Six years ago, Cumbria was hit by ‘unprecedented’ floods, thought to be a once-in-a-lifetime event, only to be flooded in the same way a few years later. And Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire has flooded for the third time in four years
Global warming undoubtedly means that the probability of a so-called once-on-a-hundred-year event must be reassessed. The 2012 Climate Change Risk Assessment identified flooding as the top risk from climate change. The government must wake up to the fact that extreme weather events are now an increasing feature of British weather.
This government needs to urgently reassess its cuts to investment in flood defences. In 2011, the full flood defence scheme in Leeds, costing £180m, was cancelled. The then floods minister said it was too expensive and the section of the river out west from the city centre to Kirkstall got excluded. The government is now spending just £33m on Leeds flood defences that do nothing to protect my constituency that was so badly hit. Leeds needs a comprehensive floods defence scheme or otherwise more heavy rain will see more destruction. A commitment to a full Leeds flood defence scheme is needed before the next downpour.
The chancellor likes to boast of his commitment to rebalancing our economy and giving the cities and regions of the north the opportunity to fulfil their potential. Yet the failure to invest in proper flood defences and the £200m cuts to Leeds make it harder and harder for vital public services and businesses to be protected. It is now time to see whether the government is willing to commit the investment necessary to give the Northern Powerhouse a fair chance to succeed. As the Yorkshire Evening Post said – what is the point of a Northern Powerhouse if it is under water?
Never again can we allow heavy rain to cause tragedy in our communities, or set back the ambitions of British businesses. People’s homes and livelihoods are at stake and, just as the people of Kirkstall and other areas of Leeds and the north came together to help those most affected by the floods, we must all now pull together as a country to find solutions to protect our families, businesses and communities from floods that we know are becoming more and more frequent.
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Rachel Reeves is member of parliament for Leeds West and former shadow secretary of state for work and pensions. She tweets @RachelReevesMP