Cameron pledges £40m to bolster 'overwhelmed' flood defences
Extra spending comes after claims of 'full-level mismanagement' at Environment Agency
David Cameron has pledged an extra £40m to reinforce the UK's flood defences after admitting they were "overwhelmed" by record rainfall which left swathes of northern England and Scotland under water over the Christmas season.
The floods have brought disruption to thousands of homes over the last month, with Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cumbria and central Scotland worst affected by swelling waters which swallowed up bridges, swamped homes and cut off power. The latest in a series of storms to batter the nation, Storm Frank, proved deadly - claiming the lives of a canoeist and a kayaker in separate incidents in Scotland. Elsewhere, hundreds were evacuated from their homes as waters rose, and the army was called in to supervise the response to the flooding. Extreme weather is estimated to have caused hundreds of millions of pounds of damage to homes, businesses and local infrastructure in Cumbria alone, ABC News reports.
Opposition MPs have denounced Cameron's promise of bonus funding as a "short-term fix". A growing political fall-out is facing the Conservative government, after it emerged that ministers were notified in November that spending cuts had adversely affected flood defences. Despite warnings that not enough money was being spent on the day-to-day maintenance of equipment, local government funding for flood services was reportedly cut in parts of the north-east of England. Similar funds were still being allocated to vulnerable areas in the south-west, provoking complaints of a southern bias.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Meanwhile, a Sunday Times investigation has alleged "full-level mismanagement and fat cat pay" at the Environment Agency after its PR chief quit with a six-figure pay-off. Other executives were paid large sums even after having resigned, the paper said. The paper also revealed that a cabinet committee set up by David Cameron after similar floods in 2013 was dissolved after just three meetings. The committee, chaired by Oliver Letwin, also failed to publish a scheduled report on the resilience of Britain's flood defences.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drug
Speed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
By The Week Staff Published
-
In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policy
Speed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
By The Week Staff Published
-
Were Covid restrictions dropped too soon?
Speed Read ‘Living with Covid’ is already proving problematic – just look at the travel chaos this week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Inclusive Britain: a new strategy for tackling racism in the UK
Speed Read Government has revealed action plan setting out 74 steps that ministers will take
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakers
Speed Read Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
By The Week Staff Published
-
Farmers vs. walkers: the battle over ‘Britain’s green and pleasant land’
Speed Read Updated Countryside Code tells farmers: ‘be nice, say hello, share the space’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Motherhood: why are we putting it off?
Speed Read Stats show around 50% of women in England and Wales now don’t have children by 30
By The Week Staff Published
-
Anti-Semitism in America: a case of double standards?
Speed Read Officials were strikingly reluctant to link Texas synagogue attack to anti-Semitism
By The Week Staff Published