Flood defence cash welcomed by Wrexham AM

News that Wrexham is set to benefit from a share of a £13.3 million pot of European cash, to help protect people from flooding, has been welcomed by the town's Assembly Member, Lesley Griffiths.

The AM was commenting that new flood defence measure projects, designed to help protect people along the length and breadth of East Wales, will now be able to access £13.3 million worth of funding.

The Welsh Assembly Government have announced that whole of Wrexham County Borough will be able to benefit from the scheme. Flood and coastal risk schemes in Wrexham, Flintshire, Powys, Monmouthshire, Newport, Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan will, as a result of this announcement, be able to apply for the financial support. The five year programme will help protect 700 homes and businesses and will include the construction of flood defences and raising awareness of the threat of flooding among vulnerable communities.

The programme has been made possible with £6 million from the European Regional Development Fund, with the remaining funding from the Welsh Assembly Government and others.

Commenting on the announcement, Lesley Griffiths AM said

"This is very welcome news indeed for local communities who suffer from flooding in the Wrexham area. I am particularly pleased that the Welsh Assembly Government will make the funding available to Wrexham County Borough as a whole.

"This will enable villages such as Rossett, to examine whether they can benefit in some way by accessing this large pot of money. "In recent months, following my suggestion, the Assembly's Sustainability Committee consulted with the people of Rossett in the course of an inquiry into flooding in Wales.

"They were able to share their experiences with the Committee of the dreadful floods that hit the village in the autumn of 2000. "With expert projections about climate change pointing towards an increased risk of intense rainfall with resultant floods in the future, this new funding announcement by the Welsh Assembly Government, is most timely.

"It demonstrates how high-up the political agenda, flooding is in Wales." In total, Welsh Ministers have been successful in securing £36 million in European funding to support flood and coastal risk management projects across Wales."