West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin has called on Tenbury residents to speak up on the need for permanent flood defences. The MP has urged local homeowners and businesses to express their views on the need for a permanent solution to alleviate flooding in Tenbury. Harriett made the call after arranging a meeting with the town’s mayor Mark Willis and the Environment Agency to discuss the issue. The town faced serious flooding in 2007 and has been threatened on several occasions in the following years, and homes and businesses have had to rely on new measures to protect individual properties such as flood gates. At the moment no funding is available to build a permanent solution that would meet cost-benefit criteria and local properties owners have been given grants to put individual flood protection on their homes and businesses. Ninety six properties have taken up this offer out of 168 eligible properties. Harriett and Mark toured the town to look at areas where persistent flooding has affected homes and businesses and also viewed a strategic plan which the Environment Agency has prepared to identify ways to protect the town from serious flooding. Harriett commented: “Two years ago, I convened a meeting of all the key local representatives to discuss this matter and pull together a strategic plan. “Having walked around the town with Mark last week, it is clear that some areas just need better walls and a simple bund could protect the area next to the tennis courts and playground. “At the moment there is no funding on offer for the whole scheme but if the whole town can get behind a strategic plan, the Environment Agency has agreed to look at what steps we can take to change this. “It may be that some parts of the strategic plan can be built over a number of years by breaking it into sections. “I understand that the strategic plans will soon be made public and it is important the local home owners and businesses have their say so we can take the message to the Environment Agency and central Government that Tenbury wants proper flood defences.” Photo: (l-r) Harriett Baldwin MP, Mark Willis, Tenbury’s Mayor and Christian Wilcox from the Environment Agency study latest strategic flood defence plan.