Weekly Column
Since before Christmas I have been helping constituents affected by flooding and further rain this week will only exacerbate the issues many people have been suffering.
On their behalf I’ve urgently raised issues with Anglian Water’s Chief Executive particularly where households have not been able to use toilets or other facilities. That’s involved tankering in Grimston, Pott Row, Roydon and other places to remove excess water to reduce the impact on people’s facilities. And I’ve worked with councillors, local authorities, and other agencies to mitigate the impacts of the heavy rainfall.
On Friday afternoon, I was in the Creakes and Burnham Market calling on constituents so I could see first-hand how their homes and the area has been affected. Large amounts of ground water entering the foul sewer network has meant they cannot use toilets or washing facilities, and sewage has come up from manhole covers. The immediate priority remains helping households affected by flooding.
A lack of co-ordination and urgency from relevant organisations has been disappointing given the work done after the 2021 floods. Belatedly a multi-agency co-ordination cell has been formed to manage the overall incident response. That’s essential as dealing with the flooding issues are not all Anglian Water’s responsibility – landowners, local authorities, the Environment Agency all have their part to play.
But it is clear there needs to be review of what improvements are needed to the network, pumping stations, or actions by others to reduce flood risk.
After flooding in 2021, I called on Anglian Water to conduct surveys to identify if water was infiltrating its sewer network and whether infrastructure could cope with demands. Anglian Water then undertook CCTV surveys and re-lined sewers in the Creakes and invested in additional capacity including in Burnham Market. However, the current flooding and unpleasant release of sewage underlines the need for further action.
A public meeting is taking place in Burnham Market on 6 February which will be an opportunity for residents to raise issues directly with the responsible agencies.
As well as pursuing these issues, I continue to keep in very close contact with QEH. Anyone passing will see the impressive progress on the new Diagnostic Assessment Centre which will open this year with state-of-the-art scanners and imaging to help cut waiting lists and lead to earlier diagnosis of a wide range of conditions – including cancer.
This centre will provide extra appointments and lead to better health outcomes for patients. This is part of a £86 million investment in Norfolk and Waveney.
This year will also see progress on projects to enable the new hospital including work to relocate the helipad which is due to start soon and the new multi-storey car park will be built in one phase freeing up the existing car park on which the new hospital will be built.
Finally, I’m running the London Marathon again this year. I’m pleased to do so for a brilliant local charity – West Norfolk Autism Group which supports autistic children and adults and is run entirely by volunteers or families with experience of autism. Any donations will be gratefully received www.justgiving.com/page/jameswildmpmarathon
First published in Lynn News, 26 January 2024
