A SUMMIT meeting has been called for early January in a bid to thrash out ways to fund a flood protection scheme for Tenbury.

It has been called by Tenbury councillor Phil Grove, leader of Malvern Hills District Council.

The move follows criticism by the Audit Commission of the failure to provide a flood defence scheme for the town.

In a rare move, the Government watchdog has ‘red flagged’ the failure to secure flood defences for Tenbury, pointing out that the issue is damaging its economic prospects.

The commission says the lack of flood protection is having an adverse impact upon quality of life.

Now Coun Grove wants to press for action and has called the meeting in Malvern for Friday, January 8.

As well as officials from Malvern Hills District Council, he also wants the summit to be attended by representatives from Worcestershire County Council, the emergency ser vices and the Environment Agency.

Representatives of the business community in Tenbury will also be involved.

“My belief is that the Audit Commission will serve as a catalyst to help to get something done,” he said. “It will give us more leverage in talking to bodies like the Government Office for the West Midlands and with the Environment Agency.”

The Environment Agency’s current position is that the benefits that would result from a £5 million scheme for the town do not justify the cost, although further work by council engineers has estimated that the cost could be cut by a further £1 million.

Richard Jones, Mayor of Tenbury, has warned that the recent flooding in Cumbria must serve as a reminder of the importance of finding a solution.