By Jamie Waller, Local Democracy Reporter
Gedling Borough Council will appeal to the government for better flood protection after villages were devastated in the wake of Storm Babet last month.
Woodborough and Lambley saw some of the worst damage in the borough, with streets flooded and residents forced to evacuate their homes.
Political parties came together during an emotional full council meeting on Wednesday (November 15) to urge the government to invest in the area.
Deputy Leader Councillor Michael Payne (Lab) introduced a motion to lobby all agencies responsible for flood defences.
“Just because Woodborough and Lambley are small, rural villages, doesn’t mean they don’t deserve protection from flooding,” he said.
“I welcome £5,000 government grants for people to defend their properties, but that just moves the water onto the next home.
“We need major investment schemes to protect these hotspots.”
He added that investment could achieve results, saying: “£27million has been spent in Lowdham and £70m in Mansfield, and it will probably work.”
Councillor Helen Greensmith (Con), who represented many of the communities worst affected, told of the impact.
“To say the villages are hard-hit is an understatement,” she said.
“The whole of Woodborough’s Main Street was completely flooded – up to three feet deep in places. It was like a river.
“I’ve since had a child come up to me and say: ‘It’s raining – does that mean it will flood again?”
Councillor Dave Gibbons (Ind) described “panic in the local shop” as Bestwood village was cut off by water.
Councillor Paul Hughes (Lib Dem) said: “These are not isolated events – this area has suffered several times in the recent past, and will continue to suffer unless something is done. One-in-100-year events are now happening every five or ten years.
“We need to rethink how me manage the land so rivers can cope, such as planting trees and expanding wetlands.”
Councillor Michael Adams (Con) urged local MPs to speak to have conversations in Westminster and “make sure money is coming to Gedling.”
The motion was passed unanimously.
A meeting has been called next week with all agencies to find practical solutions to the problems.
A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: “The significant amount of funding put into flood defences demonstrates how seriously flooding is taken with over 374,000 homes better protected since 2015, and we’re going even further by delivering a record £5.2 billion investment to better protect hundreds of thousands more.”
