27 July 2007
MP raises Cotswolds Flood Damage in Parliament.
Geoffrey spoke out on behalf of those whose homes or businesses had been severely damaged: ‘…despite the high-profile news coverage of Tewkesbury and Gloucester, my constituency suffered quite considerably as well, to the tune of several hundred houses being flooded.’
He raised the tour that he undertook, of the severely troubled areas on Monday and Tuesday. He highlighted the terrible scenes in Fairford where: ‘I found a road of houses that were under 2 ft of a mixture of sewage and water.’
He also raised his visit to: Bourton-on-the-Water “the picturesque village, the rivers, the bridges, the greens and the high street entirely under water, which had spilled over into many shops and houses…wryly called by one resident Bourton-under-the-water”
Mr Clifton-Brown also raised the severe problems in Moreton-in-Marsh where he said he had: ‘found that 250 people had been evacuated last Friday night to the fire college, their homes having been rendered unfit for habitation. I discovered that more than half the shops had been flooded, many of the houses near the station had been flooded, and many of the hostelries will not be open for many months.’
He issued a plea to the County Council: ‘that we in the Cotswolds should get our fair share of funding. I know that the high-profile cases of Tewkesbury and Gloucester will cause vast strain on both the County Council’s and the Government’s budgets, but we are going to need some resources in the Cotswolds, not only to restore the infrastructure but to pay for emergency things such as the simple provision of Portaloos, sandbags and pumping equipment.’
Mr Clifton-Brown also called on the Deputy Leader of the House, to bring the matter of ‘sewer flooding’ to the attention of the Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government [the Rt. Hon Hazel Blears MP] because: ‘the regulatory regime needs looking at to ensure that water companies have sufficient ability to invest in the infrastructure from their profits’.
Mr Clifton-Brown praised the ‘tremendous community spirit’ shown by all his constituents, being not only a credit to the Cotswolds, but also the country in the face of such adversity. However, he was concerned that once the troubles were over and the full extent of the damages, cost and insurance bills were clear, his constituents may struggle to cope given the pressures. Thus, he demanded assurances that ‘all the social services and other support services to be in place when that happens.’
Geoffrey spoke out on behalf of those whose homes or businesses had been severely damaged: ‘…despite the high-profile news coverage of Tewkesbury and Gloucester, my constituency suffered quite considerably as well, to the tune of several hundred houses being flooded.’
He raised the tour that he undertook, of the severely troubled areas on Monday and Tuesday. He highlighted the terrible scenes in Fairford where: ‘I found a road of houses that were under 2 ft of a mixture of sewage and water.’
He also raised his visit to: Bourton-on-the-Water “the picturesque village, the rivers, the bridges, the greens and the high street entirely under water, which had spilled over into many shops and houses…wryly called by one resident Bourton-under-the-water”
Mr Clifton-Brown also raised the severe problems in Moreton-in-Marsh where he said he had: ‘found that 250 people had been evacuated last Friday night to the fire college, their homes having been rendered unfit for habitation. I discovered that more than half the shops had been flooded, many of the houses near the station had been flooded, and many of the hostelries will not be open for many months.’
He issued a plea to the County Council: ‘that we in the Cotswolds should get our fair share of funding. I know that the high-profile cases of Tewkesbury and Gloucester will cause vast strain on both the County Council’s and the Government’s budgets, but we are going to need some resources in the Cotswolds, not only to restore the infrastructure but to pay for emergency things such as the simple provision of Portaloos, sandbags and pumping equipment.’
Mr Clifton-Brown also called on the Deputy Leader of the House, to bring the matter of ‘sewer flooding’ to the attention of the Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government [the Rt. Hon Hazel Blears MP] because: ‘the regulatory regime needs looking at to ensure that water companies have sufficient ability to invest in the infrastructure from their profits’.
Mr Clifton-Brown praised the ‘tremendous community spirit’ shown by all his constituents, being not only a credit to the Cotswolds, but also the country in the face of such adversity. However, he was concerned that once the troubles were over and the full extent of the damages, cost and insurance bills were clear, his constituents may struggle to cope given the pressures. Thus, he demanded assurances that ‘all the social services and other support services to be in place when that happens.’
