The Leaders of Calderdale Council and Leeds City Council have welcomed the budget announcement of further funding for flood defence schemes across the North of England.
In his budget speech, the Chancellor of the Exchequer committed the Government to increase maintenance expenditure in England by £40 million per year and an investment of over £150 million to deliver further flood defence schemes in the Calder Valley, Leeds, York, Carlisle and Cumbria.
A further £130 million will be spent repairing roads and bridges in West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, Northumberland, Greater Manchester, Cumbria and Durham, damaged by Storms Desmond and Eva in December 2015.
It is also understood that the funding will allow the repairs to Scout Road and the A646 in Mytholmroyd to be completed.
Leader of the Council, Cllr Tim Swift said:
“Since the Boxing Day floods we have been pressing the Government to provide a clear commitment to the region by providing us with new flood related investment to help us develop new flood defence schemes and repair our damaged road network.
“Whilst we welcome yesterday’s announcement by the Chancellor, the devil will be in the detail, and we eagerly await further statements on the specific funding for Calderdale and the timescales involved.
“It will only then become apparent whether there is a genuine will to repair the road links and strengthen the flood defences across Calderdale and West Yorkshire which are so vital to the recovery of our local economy.”
Storm Eva had a devastating impact on West Yorkshire’s roads, and the repair bill to restore all the affected roads and bridges is in excess of £43 million.
Calderdale Council has been leading the discussion with the Department for Transport, on behalf of West Yorkshire, on the cost of the repairs which are required to restore critical infrastructure. To date this includes £32.5 million in Calderdale, £8.6 million in Leeds and £2.7 million in Bradford.
Over in Leeds, the Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor Judith Blake said:
“I’m pleased the government appears to have listened to demands for a Leeds flood defence scheme. However there are still many unanswered questions, not least when will it be delivered ? Leeds residents and businesses will want a firm timeframe putting in place as soon as possible, especially as the current lack of certainty is seeing companies close and leading to the loss of jobs.
“There are also questions about how the initial £150million for Leeds, York, Calder Valley, Carlisle and Cumbria will be allocated. This figure contrasts with the £297million previously invested in the Thames Valley area alone, and the original estimate of £180m for the previously cancelled 2011 Leeds scheme.
“We will keep the pressure on government to make sure Leeds businesses and residents get the flood defences they need as soon as possible.”
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