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| Labour calls for long-term flood protection plan devoid of politics | |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| John McDonnell has challenged the government to agree to a bipartisan long-term plan on flood protection, as Conservatives struggled to respond to accusations that they slashed the budget for defences in the last parliament. | John McDonnell has challenged the government to agree to a bipartisan long-term plan on flood protection, as Conservatives struggled to respond to accusations that they slashed the budget for defences in the last parliament. |
| The shadow chancellor said trying to save money by cutting back on flood protection was a false economy, suggesting that flooding this winter could have been averted if just half the estimated bill for the cleanup had been spent spent on defences. | The shadow chancellor said trying to save money by cutting back on flood protection was a false economy, suggesting that flooding this winter could have been averted if just half the estimated bill for the cleanup had been spent spent on defences. |
| Speaking on Sky News, McDonnell said: “Overall we have got to find the resources, and we find the resources for all other matters. If there is a banking crisis of if there is a war we find the resources from our contingency funds, that’s what we have got to do now. | Speaking on Sky News, McDonnell said: “Overall we have got to find the resources, and we find the resources for all other matters. If there is a banking crisis of if there is a war we find the resources from our contingency funds, that’s what we have got to do now. |
| Related: Storm Frank: more gales and downpours forecast as new floods threaten - live coverage | |
| “But the most important thing is actually all of us now signing up to a long-term programme taking this out of party politics and making sure that we all consistently, no matter who is in government, implement the experts’ recommendations.” | “But the most important thing is actually all of us now signing up to a long-term programme taking this out of party politics and making sure that we all consistently, no matter who is in government, implement the experts’ recommendations.” |
| McDonnell’s comments came after the floods minister, Rory Stewart, attempted to answer criticisms of a north-south divide in spending on flood defences levelled by northern politicians and newspaper editorials. | McDonnell’s comments came after the floods minister, Rory Stewart, attempted to answer criticisms of a north-south divide in spending on flood defences levelled by northern politicians and newspaper editorials. |
| Stewart told the BBC Breakfast programme that funding was allocated via a “very fair system” on the basis of “how many houses are protected and what the risk is to those properties”. | Stewart told the BBC Breakfast programme that funding was allocated via a “very fair system” on the basis of “how many houses are protected and what the risk is to those properties”. |
| Elsewhere he defended the cuts made in the previous coalition government to flood defences, saying that £1.8bn had been spent in the last parliament. | Elsewhere he defended the cuts made in the previous coalition government to flood defences, saying that £1.8bn had been spent in the last parliament. |
| Stewart told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “Underlying the central problem I’m afraid is the weather. We have never had rain like this before. We have been dealing with this for nearly three-and-a-half weeks now. We started with more rain than had ever been seen in a day in the United Kingdom. We have had more rain than has ever happened in this month. | Stewart told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “Underlying the central problem I’m afraid is the weather. We have never had rain like this before. We have been dealing with this for nearly three-and-a-half weeks now. We started with more rain than had ever been seen in a day in the United Kingdom. We have had more rain than has ever happened in this month. |
| “Rivers here which haven’t flooded in this way for 75 years are 15 feet up. I’m afraid that is the fundamental problem here. We are spending an enormous amount of money on flood defences. In the end what is beating us is this relentless rain.” | “Rivers here which haven’t flooded in this way for 75 years are 15 feet up. I’m afraid that is the fundamental problem here. We are spending an enormous amount of money on flood defences. In the end what is beating us is this relentless rain.” |
| McDonnell said Westminster needed to “learn some lessons very, very quickly” as he outlined his call for a review of flood defences up and down the country. | McDonnell said Westminster needed to “learn some lessons very, very quickly” as he outlined his call for a review of flood defences up and down the country. |
| He said: “We had a review in 2007, the Pitt review, which came forward with some what I thought [were] excellent recommendations, but they weren’t adhered to and the problem that we have got is this stop-start approach every time we have a change of government. | He said: “We had a review in 2007, the Pitt review, which came forward with some what I thought [were] excellent recommendations, but they weren’t adhered to and the problem that we have got is this stop-start approach every time we have a change of government. |
| “So what I’m suggesting is, yes, we need to bring the experts back in, but we need to start listening to local communities more as well and local council leaders in the affected areas, for example. | “So what I’m suggesting is, yes, we need to bring the experts back in, but we need to start listening to local communities more as well and local council leaders in the affected areas, for example. |
| “But we need a cross-party agreement now that whatever the experts come up with as a long-term programme we all, across all political parties, we all sign up to it, so if there is a change in government at all there isn’t this stop-start approach which has taken place since 2010.” | “But we need a cross-party agreement now that whatever the experts come up with as a long-term programme we all, across all political parties, we all sign up to it, so if there is a change in government at all there isn’t this stop-start approach which has taken place since 2010.” |
| Related: Cost of UK floods tops £5bn, with thousands facing financial ruin | |
| The political dispute came as more rain was forecast for the north of England and southern Scotland on Tuesday night, which can only inflate an estimated £5bn cost of the winter floods.A leading accountant warned thousands of families and businesses would face financial ruin because they have inadequate insurance or none at all. | The political dispute came as more rain was forecast for the north of England and southern Scotland on Tuesday night, which can only inflate an estimated £5bn cost of the winter floods.A leading accountant warned thousands of families and businesses would face financial ruin because they have inadequate insurance or none at all. |
| Touring flood-hit areas of Yorkshire and Lancashire on Monday, David Cameron defended spending levels amid mounting criticism from MPs and council leaders. But Judith Blake, the leader of Leeds city council, said a flood prevention scheme for the city was ditched by the government in 2011, and warned that there was “a very strong feeling” across the region that the north was being short-changed. | Touring flood-hit areas of Yorkshire and Lancashire on Monday, David Cameron defended spending levels amid mounting criticism from MPs and council leaders. But Judith Blake, the leader of Leeds city council, said a flood prevention scheme for the city was ditched by the government in 2011, and warned that there was “a very strong feeling” across the region that the north was being short-changed. |
| “I think there’s a real anger growing across the north about the fact that the cuts have been made to the flood defences and we’ll be having those conversations as soon as we are sure that people are safe and that we start the cleanup process and really begin the assess the scale of the damage,” Blake said. | “I think there’s a real anger growing across the north about the fact that the cuts have been made to the flood defences and we’ll be having those conversations as soon as we are sure that people are safe and that we start the cleanup process and really begin the assess the scale of the damage,” Blake said. |
| “So there are some very serious questions for government to answer on this and we’ll be putting as much pressure on as possible to redress the balance and get the funding situation equalised so the north get its fair share.” | “So there are some very serious questions for government to answer on this and we’ll be putting as much pressure on as possible to redress the balance and get the funding situation equalised so the north get its fair share.” |
| It also emerged on Monday that Yorkshire’s regional flood and coastal committee (RFCC) warned about the potential impact of the funding gap in the region’s local government revenue just weeks before floods overran towns and cities in the region. Minutes of the committee’s October meeting, which would have been distributed to senior civil servants and ministers, show Prof Colin Mellors’ warnings against central government cuts. | |
| Jon Trickett, the shadow secretary for communities and local government, said: “These documents show the devastating impact the Tory government’s cuts are having on the region. The Tories’ failure to adequately fund our flood defences means key projects are being put at risk. Instead of posing for the cameras it’s time David Cameron got a grip and gave the region the support it needs.” | Jon Trickett, the shadow secretary for communities and local government, said: “These documents show the devastating impact the Tory government’s cuts are having on the region. The Tories’ failure to adequately fund our flood defences means key projects are being put at risk. Instead of posing for the cameras it’s time David Cameron got a grip and gave the region the support it needs.” |
| On Monday, as the waters receded in the worst-hit areas, residents began to face up the scale of the damage. In York telephone lines and internet connections were down and some cash machines were not working. Many of the bars and shops that were open were only taking cash. | On Monday, as the waters receded in the worst-hit areas, residents began to face up the scale of the damage. In York telephone lines and internet connections were down and some cash machines were not working. Many of the bars and shops that were open were only taking cash. |
| Justin Balcombe, KPMG’s UK head of general insurance management consulting, had sobering news for those hoping their insurance would cover their loses. He predicted that the total cost of the floods in December would top £5bn, with about £1bn falling to families and businesses with no or inadequate insurance. | Justin Balcombe, KPMG’s UK head of general insurance management consulting, had sobering news for those hoping their insurance would cover their loses. He predicted that the total cost of the floods in December would top £5bn, with about £1bn falling to families and businesses with no or inadequate insurance. |
| “We believe that there is a serious level of under-insurance and would estimate this economic impact to be as significant as the insured event, to the tune of an additional £1bn,” he said. | “We believe that there is a serious level of under-insurance and would estimate this economic impact to be as significant as the insured event, to the tune of an additional £1bn,” he said. |
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