Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness, is to meet members of the River Hull Flood Action Group.
The meeting comes after the group contacted Graham with concerns about the Environment Agency’s (EA) River Hull Flood Risk Management Strategy.
Graham said: “The consultation period for the flood management strategy is coming to an end but some constituents obviously have concerns about the way things are being handled.”
Members of the Hull Flood Action Group claim that local knowledge and ideas are being ignored by the EA and that the Agency needs to change its approach and be more genuinely open to the views of those who will be most affected by its decisions.
The Action Group insists that the EA is underestimating the flood risk benefits of a properly maintained land drainage system providing large areas of dry farmland to soak up excessive rainfall. According to the Group the pumps for land drainage offer cost effective benefits to a strategy to keep dry the whole of the River Hull valley, including the city of Hull. The Group’s members reject the idea that flood benefits are marginal and that the pump system on the River Hull is overwhelmingly for farming benefit.
Graham added: “Everyone agrees that the current system on the River Hull needs to be maintained for both food production and flood protection alike. The Environment Agency must not walk away from its obligations nor use the current financial situation to offload its responsibilities onto local landowners.
“I am in regular contact with the EA and will do everything I can to make sure that the system is properly maintained, is financially sustainable and that the EA pays its fair share of the costs.”
As a conservative voter at the last election I sincerely hope that the conservative party is not going to allow this collection of feral academics with laptops, who represent the EA, to get away with this insult to the intelligence and knowledge of the local people whose lifes and businesses are being totally ignored. They have consistently chosen to be selective in only responding to minor concerns and the issues of how ERYC and in particular IDB swept under the carpet because of lack of Govenrment Funding for this type of flood risk!!!
I trust your intervention and support to the HFAG will fully reject this strategy.
John Fearnall