Floods Minister Elliott Morley has launched a consultation on national flood and coastal defence service funding on the back of the publication of the Government's Flood and Coastal Defence Funding Review.
The review suggests a number of improvements that might be made to existing arrangements, such as:
· Should developers wishing to build on floodplains pay a one-off charge to help fund flood defences in their area?
· Should funding arrangements across the country be organised by river catchment area, via new, simplifying `Regional Customer Bodies', comprising local authority representatives and other local stakeholders, and which could have the power to raise funds locally?
· Should responsibility for dealing with high-flood-risk watercourses be transferred to a single co-ordinating body, the Environment Agency, rather than be shared amongst multiple agencies, as currently?
· Should funds for defence works be provided on a speedier block grant basis rather than on the current scheme-by-scheme basis?
Meanwhile, Morley announced that a £13m scheme to protect properties in West Bay, Dorset, from flooding and coastal erosion, is to get a further £6.5m in Government grant aid.
The area has suffered significant damaged since 1950. The historic piers and sections of the wall are in urgent need of repair to prevent flooding and the loss of property as a result of coastal erosion.
A spokeswoman for Norwich Union, which launched its Home and Dry campaign this week to raise public awareness of flood defences, said: "We welcome the opportunity to participate through the ABI in the consultation process. We need long-term solutions for flooding."
