Halifax MP Holly Lynch calls for ‘joined-up’ approach to flood resilience measures

Her call comes after a leading insurance firm spoke out for an overhaul of “ineffective” flood grant schemes which households can only access after they have been flooded.

The Swiss insurance company Zurich said people are at risk of “double disaster” from flooding and the Covid-19 pandemic and reforms are needed to allow homeowners to make proactive improvements before another major flood event unfolds.

It comes months after Storms Ciara and Dennis were estimated to have caused more than £360m worth of damage.

The firm said households face a “postcode lottery” as £5,000 flood resilience grants are only handed out in areas designated by the Government after a flood event.

Zurich believes grants should be available all year round to help people in high flood risk areas protect their homes before flooding hits and say this would be an effective way of boosting economic recovery.

Halifax MP Holly Lynch said: “The Government’s decision to deny resilience grants to those who flooded for a second time in 2020, really rubbed salt in the wounds for people in the Calder Valley who flooded in both 2015 and 2020.

“Zurich make an important point about flood prevention, but we must ensure that flood resilience measures are ‘joined-up’ right across the catchment if we are to hold water further upstream and have any success in protecting homes and businesses in the future.”