Lewes Flood Defences

[Curious Orange]

Nice to see Norman Baker is going cap-in-hand to Government to get funding for the flood defences in Lewes rather than trying to get the local council to spend its money more appropriately:

from the BBC

Call for more flood defence funds

Thousands of campaign letters calling for more flood defence funding have been handed to the government.

Norman Baker, Lewes MP, said more than 2,000 people have signed letters to the Chancellor demanding more investment.

The letters claim government figures predict a national £700m flood defence shortfall over 10 years.

Mr Baker said swathes of Lewes remained unprotected. Defence work was carried out after floods in 2000, but residents in the East Sussex town asked for more.

After the letters were handed in at Downing Street, Mr Baker said: "The long-term cost of not funding comprehensive flood defences will far exceed that of funding them."

He said most of the letters handed in on Wednesday had been signed by people from Lewes.

The MP said he would be meeting Treasury Minister John Healey next week to discuss flood defence funding.

Homes, shops and businesses were devastated by flooding in 2000 after the River Ouse burst its banks in the autumn.

 

[Da Man Clay]

Wow 2000 signatures, They didn't take notice of over 5000 of ours. And I just realised that not even all 2000 of their signatures were from those in their constituancy.

 

[Lammy]

Perhaps it might be a good idea to email John Healey pointing out how much money Lewes District Council have spent on something outside their constituency!

 

[Curious Orange]

Perhaps it might be a good idea to email John Healey pointing out how much money Lewes District Council have spent on something outside their constituency!

That sounds like a very good idea, could also point out how many people from the district signed the petition to LDC against further expenditure on that particular issue.

 

[Caveman]

Do we have an email address for him?

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

It beggers belief doesn't it.

Spending over £ 250000 so far fighting the Albions stadium and then complaining that they do not have enough money to protect the town they are elected to represent.

What I propose is someone standing in the high street with a loud speaker shouting out exactly what LEWES DC are doing, have done and the amount of money they have spent whilst they cannot afford to do the flood defences. People in Lewes need a wake up call and direct action is needed even if only to embarrass the council.

Loud Speaker, Volunteers, Flyers, Saturday Morning Lewes High Street, lets get it sorted, what's Attila up to

 

[Caveman]

If I lived in that area I'd be fuming.

What a waste of money!!

 

[The Clown of Pevensey Bay]

To be fair; it is the government's Environment Agency which is responsible for erecting flood defences, not local councils. However, Baker's petition when compared with ours speaks volumes.

 

[Jim in the West]

To be fair; it is the government's Environment Agency which is responsible for erecting flood defences, not local councils.

True as this is, you still have to wonder whether the good folk of Lewes would rather LDC spent money on flood defences or the anti-Falmer campaign. If, as one could easily conclude, the government isn't going to cough up as much money as Lewes needs, surely LDC has an obligation to it's constituents to prioritise flood defence, rather than campaigning against a Stadium which WON'T EVEN BE IN LEWES.

 

[Marc]

we need a big billboard campaign in the centre of Lewes stating somehting along these lines:

"Whats more important to your councilors? Spending YOUR tax money on fighting against a Community Stadium? or spending YOUR tax money protecting YOU against future floods?
Answer = the former...Act Now, tell LDC what they need to know!"

you get my drift