Published in North Somerset Times.

A Clevedon councillor is calling for top-level action to reduce the risk of flooding around the town.

Adele Gardner, Labour member for Clevedon East, has urged North Somerset MP Dr Liam Fox to ensure that extra government funding is provided to tackle the problems posed by recent heavy rainfall.

Cllr Gardner said she was very concerned by the impact of the torrential rains over the past few weeks, with big pools of collected water making it hard to cross roads in the centre of the town and threatening to enter homes and businesses.

Facebook posts from local residents had, for example, shown deep water across the road by Clevedon library and the historic Curzon cinema, she pointed out.

Climate change means the problems are not going to go away, Cllr Gardner added, and it is essential that Clevedon’s drains are properly maintained so that they can cope with the increasingly intense rainfall levels.

‘I am aware that the drainage systems in Clevedon are likely to be old and in need of substantial maintenance and repair if they are to play an effective part in reducing flood risk for the people of the town,’ she told Dr Fox.

She has asked the MP for assurances that the government will reverse the decrease in funding and restore it to the previous, though inadequate, level for North Somerset Council to help maintain and repair the drainage system. ‘I know our local authority, like many others, has a budget that is already stretched to the limit, but it is critically important that it is given the resources to ensure that homes stay dry and businesses can operate,’ she added.

‘We must ensure that ordinary people can go about their lives knowing that Clevedon has done all that it is possible to do to reduce the risk of flooding given that we are a coastal town in a time of climate emergency.’

Cllr Gardner has also written to Dr Hannah Young, who represents Clevedon South on North Somerset Council, asking her to also raise the issues with Dr Fox.