Hull MP urges Council to bid for road flood repairs cash

Diana Johnson MP is urging Hull City Council to "get its act together" and apply for Government funding to repair flood damaged roads.

The call comes after the Hull North MP received news from Transport Minister Rosie Winterton MP that Hull City Council has failed to make an application for Government funding to repair an estimated £1.2 million of flood damage to local roads eleven months after the June 2007 flooding.

Diana has written to the Hull City Council Chief Executive to encourage a funding bid from the local authority before the Department of Transport's newly extended deadline of 13 June.

Diana Johnson MP said: "The Government's emergency funding scheme covers the bulk of capital works needed to repair roads damaged by flooding. Sheffield City Council was last November awarded £6.3 million under the scheme.

"Eleven months after the June 2007 flooding it beggars belief to hear from the Transport Minister that, despite every encouragement, Hull City Council has still not submitted a proper application to the Government for money to repair flood damage on the city's roads.

"This comes after all the statements from Hull's Lib Dem Council about the scale of flood damage and attacking the Government over the funding provided for Hull's flood recovery. It also follows the Council's recent failure to assemble an adequate bid under the Private Finance Initiative to remedy Hull's wider backlog of highways repairs.

"Originally the deadline for making these emergency applications was 17 September last year, but this has now been extended to 13 June for Hull. The Government is being very fair and I hope that Hull City Council will now get its act together on making an application by 13 June."

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