Flood protection projects get £2m funding boost

Funding worth almost £2m will be used to better protect an area of West Yorkshire previously badly hit by flooding, a council has said.

The money would be used to strengthen existing defences and fund new flood management schemes, according to Calderdale Council.

The Calder Valley has been badly affected by flooding on several occasions over the past decade, with at least 3,000 properties affected on Boxing Day 2015 alone.

At a meeting on Monday, senior councillors voted to accept grants from the government and the Yorkshire Region Flood and Coastal Committees to pay for the proposed projects.

The money would be used to fund work between now and 2027 focusing on shoring up current defences and investing in natural solutions to help slow the flow of water, councillors were told.

Scott Patient, cabinet member for climate action and housing, described the new funding as a "huge boost".

"We can't do this alone. We need the resource and finance to be able to maximise the impact of flood schemes here," he said.

Since 2012, about £133m has been secured to help protect areas of Calderdale from flooding.

Patient explained he had been a flood warden for 10 years after his own house was affected in December 2015.

"That was really what kickstarted me to become a member," he said.

"Throwing my children's homework and musical instruments into a skip really brought home the effects of extreme weather."

Patient said that while the flood risk in Calderdale could never be eradicated, "we can do our best to make sure we are in the best place possible to face those challenges".

Patient added that the funding boost was "especially prescient" a decade on from the Boxing Day floods, noting that there had since been "countless near-misses", and the area remained "ever more susceptible" to flooding.

Tim Swift, who was Calderdale Council leader in 2015, also said he welcomed the funding.

However, he stressed the need to "keep pressing" for additional government money - not just for major projects, but also for smaller, everyday work, particularly to tackle poor drainage and run-off, which he said might be linked to past mining activity in the area.

The meeting heard that communities most at risk from future flooding incidents would be prioritised for targeted support.

Patient said that projects would be eligible for funding once approved by the council, and could include standard flood defence work as well as "working with nature" ideas like tree planting.

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