South Yorkshire floods: 'Clock ticking' over government response

The "clock is ticking" on government to fulfil its promises made to residents besieged by flooding seven months ago, the Sheffield City mayor has said.

Thousands of South Yorkshire homes and businesses were submerged in November.

Dan Jarvis said Prime Minister Boris Johnson must not renege on his commitment to hold a flooding summit to draw up a defence plan for the county.

The government said it was working to "identify suitable arrangements" for a "Yorkshire floods roundtable".

In a letter to ministers, Mr Jarvis said: "It is urgent that we do everything we can to stop devastating floods hitting again.

"We cannot let the people of South Yorkshire down."

Bentley and Fishlake in Doncaster were some of the worst-hit areas, with many residents and businesses still facing repair work or unable to return home.

At the time, Mr Johnson faced condemnation for his response and for failing to act sooner.

It prompted the Sheffield mayor to write a letter to the prime minister calling for intervention.

Although Mr Jarvis welcomed plans to double the amount of government investment into flood defences to £5.2bn from 2021, he called for the money to be spent in "close collaboration with devolved authorities" like the Sheffield City Region (SCR).

He said they had developed a "detailed programme for prevention and resilience works based on local knowledge and consultation", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Mr Jarvis said while the government was "rightly focusing much of its energy on the Covid-19 crisis" it had "to follow through on their commitments".

He added: "It is now seven months since the prime minister promised to hold a flooding summit so we can take more coordinated and effective action. The clock is ticking.

"It's not just about the amount of money, it's how it is spent. We need to do this in a way which reflects local priorities and concerns and helps our local economy and environment."

The government said it had been working to identify a date for a meeting before "movement restrictions" from coronavirus came into place.

It said "in the event that we are unable to hold an in-person roundtable we will notify attendees of alternative arrangements".

A Defra spokesperson added: "We will continue to work with local leaders and communities across Yorkshire to reduce the risks of flooding to as many people as possible."

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].