Dr Luke Evans, Member of Parliament for Hinckley and Bosworth, has urged the new Government to re-evaluate the flooding formula which he says overlooks small villages in the area such as Shenton, Whiterley, Sheepy Magna, Newton Burgoland and Barwell.
The local MP, first elected in December 2019, explained that the flooding formula is stopping many residents across Hinckley and Bosworth from receiving funding and support from Government agencies as the small size of some local villages and the fact that flooding routinely occurs on the roads but does not enter houses, means they are “overlooked”.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Dr Luke Evans MP said “Leicestershire was one of the areas hit by significant flooding. Fortunately, my constituency is relatively okay, bar pockets such as Shenton, Barwell, Sheepy Magna and Witherley.
“The problem is that they do not hit the Government’s threshold for funding because they are too small and often experience flooding only to roads and connectors, rather than houses.
“Will the Leader of the House write to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ask him to reconsider the formula, and to provide for isolated communities that are cut off but do not get breaches into houses? That problem is fundamentally difficult to solve.”
The Leader of the House of Commons, Lucy Powell MP, responded by saying “The Member for Hinckley and Bosworth is absolutely right. The changes in global weather as a result of climate change mean that flooding incidents are more frequent and more acute, and are often hyper-localised, rather than widespread.
“He makes a compelling point about the impact of localised flooding not just on homes but on local infrastructure. I will certainly ensure that that is considered by the Secretary of State.”
Speaking after the exchange in the House of Commons, Dr Luke Evans MP added “Once again, heavy rainfall, storms and blocked drains has resulted in flooding in across our community, causing havoc to local people, their homes and businesses.
“Towards the end of last year I convened a meeting of representatives from Leicestershire County Council, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, the Environment Agency, Witherley Parish Council, Leicestershire Police, Leicestershire Fire and Rescue, Severn Trent Water and a local residents group to discuss the short- and long-term impacts of flooding in our area, and will continue to work with everyone involved.
“I’m pleased the Government has agreed to look into this. I will be looking at these necessary improvements to the flooding formula and Flood Resilience Task Force closely. I will continue to push to make sure our smaller communities aren’t forgotten.”
