Shaun Bailey MP asks why Tipton receives less money than neighbouring areas
Shaun Bailey, MP for West Bromwich West, last week quizzed government departments as to why Wednesbury, Oldbury and Tipton receive less funding for flood defences than neighbouring towns.
The Public Accounts Committee, of which Shaun Bailey MP is a member, met to discuss how the Government manages flood risks, and were joined by representatives from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Environment Agency, among others.
In August 2020, residents in Tipton were left devastated after heavy thunderstorms caused homes to flood. Residents also fell victim to flooding in 2016 after a night of heavy rainfall.
Shaun Bailey MP questioned why certain areas of the country receive more funding for flood defences than others, stating “I represent quite a deprived area in the Black Country, and I am slightly concerned that in August last year we had a very significant flood event that impacted on one of the most deprived parts of my community…… the current funding ratio [in West Bromwich West] is £580 per property, whereas a nearby constituency in Birmingham has one of nearly £5,000 per property. Could you perhaps just explain, particularly for the benefit of my constituents in Tipton who are watching today, how the rationale behind that works?
Reflecting on the hearing, Shaun subsequently said: ‘For too long the communities of Wednesbury, Oldbury and Tipton have been left behind and not received the funding that they deserve. Residents in Tipton have, in the last four years, been victim to events which should have only happened once in the last hundred. That is not right, and I will continue to speak up for my communities wherever possible’.
