MP pushes floods minister to make Cumbria a special case for funding

Local MP Tim Farron has argued for Cumbria to become a special case when it comes to funding flood protection during a meeting with minister with Thérèse Coffey.

Tim said that some communities such as Windermere, Bowness and Backbarrow were missing out on vital flood defences due to a lack of available funding.

During the meeting Tim also made the case for:

• Water companies to be held to a much higher standard to prevent surface water flooding in places like Kendal and Burneside
• A flood defence scheme for Backbarrow which has been put forward by local residents, and for the Government to look at funding protection for individual homes and businesses
• The Government to give its fair share of funding towards a flood relief scheme for Windermere Road in Grange

Tim said: "I'm grateful to the floods minister for meeting with me and for discussing a whole range of issues including the need to support communities around the lake at Windermere, tackling flooding on Windermere Road in Grange, and about the needs for communities in places like Kendal, Burneside and Staveley to be protected from flooding from the drains.

"But I was also able to raise the need for Cumbria to be seen as a special case when it comes to flooding.

"Every time there's a disastrous flood, we have to fight for whatever money we can to secure flood defences, re-build bridges and re-house local families.

"But as we are an area that does flood more than any other part of the country, surely we need to be a special case for funding."