“Why weren’t we warned?” - Sarah Gibson MP secures urgent meeting with Flooding Minister as Chippenham starts to recover.
Sarah Gibson, MP for Chippenham, asked the Minister for Flooding, Emma Hardy, whether she would visit Chippenham in light of the terrible flooding. In response, the Minister accepted the invitation and visited Chippenham on Tuesday 26th.
Following the invitation, the Minister joined Ms Gibson in visiting businesses, residents, community groups and councillors in Chippenham on Tuesday the 26th.
Commenting, Ms Gibson said:
“My first priority on Monday was to support residents who needed housing and to meet with businesses, clearing up from the flood waters. Everyone I spoke to had one message – ‘why weren’t we warned?’
“I cannot fault the first responders, who tackled the flooding head on. What I am deeply concerned about was the follow-up response. Wiltshire Council has superb officers and systems in place to support people in this type of crisis.
“However, I was horrified to find out that Wiltshire Council didn’t provide an emergency contact number for people looking for immediate support during this traumatic time.
“In response, I wrote to the Minister for Flooding , Emma Hardy, late Monday evening and was pleased to learn that she would visit us and see the devastation for herself .”
On Tuesday 26th November, the Minister visited Chippenham along with representatives from the Environment Agency, Town Council, and Wiltshire Council, including Cllr Nic Puntis, the portfolio holder responsible for flooding across Wiltshire.
“During our walk around Chippenham I was able to introduce her to local businesses like G Hatto Barbershop, who were in the process of mopping floors and drying what they could.
“I then led a discussion between the Minister, Town Council, Wiltshire Council, and the Environment Agency where I asked for immediate funding for my constituents and businesses recovering from the damage.
“I am concerned that a rural county like Wiltshire may not meet the required threshold that qualifies us for emergency support – I pressed the Minister to investigate this matter as a priority, as I do not want my constituents to miss out based on some random metric. People need support now.
“I asked what more could be done by the Councils and Environment Agency, working together pro-actively to contact residents and businesses likely to be affected by flooding. This has to happen not only in the aftermath, but before the crisis even hits.
“This would give my constituents a fighting chance to manage the impact of any flooding.
“I thank the Minister, council representatives and Environment Agency for coming to Chippenham to see the impact of Storm Bert. I promise to ensure that constituents affected by the flooding get the support they need as soon as possible.”