Mark Francois, MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, has welcomed the news that Rochford District Council has received a £55,646 Government grant to reimburse the Council for works undertaken to help with issues related to, or caused by flooding.
The funding will also contribute towards the efforts of the Forum for Surface Water Issues which the Council set up as a means to improve resilience against future flooding and to bring together the various organisations and agencies responsible for the upkeep of ditches, drains and culverts across the district.
The forum has highlighted the need for immediate maintenance works to be undertaken across the district and has already had success with the council agreeing to spend £11,000 for works at Rawreth brook and £9,000 has been allocated for work at Bramfield Road East.
Commenting on the funding, Mark Francois said:
"The floods of August 2013 were devastating to those local residents who were affected. Essex also suffered a subsequent period of very heavy rainfall last summer and, although fewer people were flooded that time, a number of residents were badly affected by the weather for a second time in short succession. Rochford District Council undertook to help those affected by providing council tax discounts and additional support where necessary and I am pleased to see that the Government have recognised the considerable effort made.
I have previously attended Rochford District Council’s "Flood Forum" which is a meeting that they have convened with all of the relevant authorities concerned, to try and come up with practical solutions almost on a street by street level, and I am glad it appears to be coming up with some good ideas to mitigate the effects of flooding, where possible."