Harriett Baldwin MP continues to press for flood defences for Tenbury. (From Ludlow Advertiser)

Harriett Baldwin MP continues to press for flood defences for Tenbury.

8:00am Saturday 5th January 2013 in Tenbury Wells By Adrian Kibbler

A SUMMIT will be called next year to find funding for permanent flood defences to protect Tenbury.

The initiative will be led by West Worcestershire MP Har riett Baldwin whose constituency includes the town.

Its objective is to indentify how the £5 million needed to build a flood defence for the town can be found.

The Environment Agency has said flood defences for the town cannot be justified.

But the MP is calling for a rethink and hopes Tenbury can also claim a share of a £120m pot being made available by the Government.

The MP met representatives from Malvern Hills District Council to discuss the issue and she agreed to work with the council to host a meeting to find solutions for this longstanding problem.

Mrs Baldwin has also written to the Environment Agency to attempt to secure funding for permanent flood defences to protect Tenbury.

The agency has confirmed that the town’s proposed flood scheme will need funding of nearly £5m but the Government has announced a further £120m of funding with £60m being earmarked for so-called ‘shovel-ready’ schemes like Tenbury’s.

“I have kept the pressure up to make sure Tenbury is not forgotten and ensured that £9 million has been spent on flood defences across my constituency and it is time to re-argue Tenbury’s case,”

said Mrs Baldwin.

“Following my meeting with the district council, it is clear that there is some impetus to try and fix this oversight and I hope that we will all be able to work together to find funding solutions to give the town permanent flood defences.

“I will try to get the Environment Agency, the district and county council and other parties around a table this month to see what national money can be found together with combined local authority funds.

“There is a lot of money to be found, but all the parties are ready to resume the campaign.”

One of the advantages that Tenbury has is that it is believed that a scheme could be drawn up quickly and this could make it attractive as the Government is keen to see construction schemes start in a bid to boost the economy back into life.

Under existing rules the Environment Agency is required to put a figure on the benefit that would result from a flood defence scheme and this is why Tenbury has so far lost out.