I was grateful to my mate, Theo Clarke , the MP for Stafford, for securing a debate on flooding across Staffordshire.
Whilst Stoke-on-Trent North, Kidsgrove and Talke isn’t suffer like others in Staffordshire, residents aren’t immune to flooding.
Properties and families on the A53 Leek Road regularly face flooding. Even though the road isn’t on a floodplain, the drainage from the road runs into the River Trent and so when the river levels increase, the drainage blocks and floods the road.
Norton Green runs a canal feeder for the Caldon canal and the River Trent. The canal feeder is man-made and beset with historical issues so when it rains, a double hit for residents. The river is the responsibility of the Environment Agency and the canal feeder Severn Trent Water. If they worked together they could help the people of Norton Green much more.
I was honoured to praise residents and local Councillors Cllr Dave Evans, Cllr James Smith and Cllr Carl Edwards, for their work to nail eater out of the village.
I raised the issue of constituents like David Barber in Kidsgrove and Amrik Rai in Baddeley, Milton & Norton ward (Stoke-on-Trent).
We suffer from a Victorian drainage network which is underfunded and over capacity.
I called on the Minister to give more funding to Stoke-on-Trent City Council and Staffordshire County Council for day to day drainage clearance and seek clarity for finding out who is responsible for what drains.