Tenbury Properties To Get Flood Resilience Grants

11.36.00am GMT Fri 12th Mar 2010

Richard Burt said he was "delighted" to hear the announcement that Tenbury had secured Defra grants to protect individual properties in the town from flooding.

Defra have announced that a grant of £125,000 will be made to Malvern Hills District Council to protect 30 homes.

Richard, who alerted local councils to the possibility of applying for flood resilience grants last year. said it was "the first step to securing protection for some of the worst affected properties in the town, but no substitute for a permanent defences."

Richard said: "This is great news for 30 homeowners, but around 100 more homes and businesses still need to be protected. An application should now be made to the Midlands Flood Defence Committee for extra funds to cover the excluded buildings.

"The longer term goal must still be to get permanent flood defences, but even with a reduced cost of £4.2million for the scheme, there is no prospect of funding under a Labour or Conservative government.

"I have always argued for a National Emergency Plan to protect flood victims, and spoke in favour of a Liberal Democrat Conference motion calling for £1billion to be spent on flood defences for towns like Tenbury.

"At least we have taken the first step forward in the battle to save the town from future flooding."