Emma Hardy, MP for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle, has put forward a bill in parliament to introduce minimum standards of flood mitigation and protection for all future developments. The Chester Standard reports that Ms Hardy’s Hull constituency is particularly vulnerable to dangerous levels of flooding.
The MP explained that she was acting on evidence of climate change, highlighted at the recent COP26 summit in Glasgow, which shows that increased risk of flooding is one of the consequences of the damage already done to the environment. She would like all new building developments to meet a series of new requirements to mitigate the risks.
Ms Hardy said: “First to set binding planning requirements for properties enforced by local authorities; secondly to create a scheme binding on the insurance industry to recognise flood resilience measures in their premiums and thirdly to extend the Flood Risk Scheme further.”
She concluded: “In many ways, it is an issue of common sense to pass this Bill because when it comes to support for these measures today we should remember the tide is rising both literally and metaphorically and the time to act is now.”
Insurance protection for householders does already exist in the form of the Flood Re Scheme. This is a joint initiative between the government and the insurance industry to make flood insurance more affordable for those who live in areas prone to flooding. Most of the costs are covered by a levy on the insurance industry.
According to the Environment Agency, an estimated 2.4 million properties in the UK are at risk of river or coastal flooding, and another 3 million are at risk of surface water flooding. The impact of flooding can be devastating both financially and personally for home and business owners, and tougher regulation in the future seems inevitable.
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