Revealed: how Tory cuts are wrecking UK flood defences

[LeftishBrit]

Many of Britain’s flood defences are being abandoned or maintained to minimal levels because of government cuts that could leave almost twice as many households at “significant risk” within 20 years, according to a leaked document submitted to ministers.

The paper, written by the body representing all major organisations responsible for flood defences, was presented to ministers on 30 November last year – days before Cumbria was hit by the heaviest rainfall recorded in 24 hours in Britain....

Written by the Association of Drainage Authorities (ADA), whose members include the Environment Agency, it is further proof that ministers were being told before last month’s floods that cuts had left large parts of Britain in greater danger. The experts called for a complete rethink of the way flood defences were maintained and funded.

After much of the north of England and Scotland endured misery over Christmas, ministers had admitted that flood defences were inadequate in many areas, but insisted that extreme weather was to blame, not government cuts. But the experts challenge this view, saying savage reductions to local authority funding had not only had a devastating effect on flood defences but may have added to costs in the long run because the result had been a far faster deterioration than would otherwise have occurred.


http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jan/02/tory-cuts-wrecking-uk-flood-defences

[Warpy]

1. Someone on another site remarked that the real disaster in the area

was Cameron's visit to it. They used a few descriptors which would get this post hidden. People in the area are all too aware of what cuts to flood abatement funding have done to them and of who made those cuts.

Gotta love the arch conservative's rationalization process: we didn't shore up flood control in good weather because the weather was good and we didn't need to. Now the weather is bad and the fact that the neglected infrastructure failed was wholly due to the weather.

I despise conservatives, no matter what country they are wrecking or which party they claim to represent. They're all poison.

[Bad Dog]

2. Once in a hundred years?

Is a bit misleading, it doesn't refer to years passed but probability. The Dutch, (who know a bit about flooding) use once in a thousand years figures for their flood defences. Ours should be of the same standard. We need Dutch engineers to say what's needed and we should follow their directions to the letter. Talk about millions here and there is meaningless, a half arsed job is a half arsed job regardless of how much it costs.

[T_i_B]

3. There's plenty of people who could be blamed

If searching for scapegoats happens to be your thing.

Not just the government for cutting the environment agency budget, but the environment agency themselves for how they've spent that budget. (The head of the environment agency is already getting stick for being on holiday when floods struck), the failure of the Foss Barrier, which made matter much worse in York, local councils for building on flood plains, polluters, climate change deniers and so forth.

Ultimately the biggest factor here is the very wet and unseasonably warm weather.