A Norfolk council has received a £254,000 cash boost to help protect flood-prone communities, but critics warn costs will continue to rise.
West Norfolk Council (WNC), which pays £3m to support the work of Internal Drainage Boards each year, is set to benefit from the extra money announced last week.
The one-off government grant has been welcomed by councillors but it remains a small percentage of the annual levy it must pay. 44pc of revenue from council tax goes towards IDBs.
This follows successive governments cutting the funding offered to zero.
Chris Morley, cabinet member for finance at WNC, said: "We welcome this interim money to councils affected by the way IDBs are funded.
"This is a pressing issue that has a real impact on services."
READ MORE: Warning over soaring costs to protect Norfolk from floods
WHAT ARE IDBs?
Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs) are public bodies that undertake important work to help reduce flood risk to homes and businesses.
They do this by managing water levels through drainage work, and they also help support the needs of farmers.
Much of IDBs' work involves the maintenance and improvement of watercourses and related infrastructure such as pumping stations, weirs, sluices, culverts and embankments.
There are 112 in England which cover nearly 10pc of the nation's land mass, and ten in Norfolk covering different catchment areas.
The work of the IDBs is funded via the council, landowners, farmers and other sources.
'CRUCIAL WORK'
South West Norfolk Labour MP, Terry Jermy, raised the issue in the House of Commons and has been assured efforts will be made to find a more sustainable funding solution.
"I'm pleased that funding will be awarded to the council - one of the largest sums provided in this fund.
"IDBs undertake crucial work but we need a more sustainable funding solution. I'm pleased that this has been acknowledged."
COSTS TO RISE
While the grant has been welcomed by councillors, it only covers a small amount of the annual costs faced by the council.
Internal drainage boards have seen their costs increase by an average of 2pc since the 2022-23 period.
This is largely down to higher energy and fuel prices, increasingly extreme wet weather events and wage increases, according to the District Councils’ Network (DCN).
District councils, or unitary councils in some areas, collect levies on behalf of the boards.
Critics warn these costs are likely to rise significantly due to climate change leading to more frequent extreme rainfall events.
As costs rise, there are fears frontline services will face funding cuts in the future.
READ MORE: River campaigners call for change to dredging maintenance
Brian Long, leader of the Conservative group at WNC, works with three IDBs in the district including King's Lynn and Stoke Ferry.
He has joined the council's calls for changes to the funding model.
"Any funding that helps has got to be welcomed but long-term solutions and a different approach to funding needs to be found.
"More rain and more extreme weather events in the future will mean there will be huge increases to the IDBs' costs.
"High energy prices mean our pumping stations can be expensive to run but we cannot afford to not put the pumps on.
"Stopping them running would mean the system would be unable to cope the next time it rains.
"This would leave areas around King's Lynn at serious risk of being flooded."
Defra, local authorities and the Internal Drainage Board sector are currently involved in a review of current costs.
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