Anger as West Sussex County Council cuts flooding funding

The Conservative-led county council reduced its annual funding for its flood prevention fund Operation Watershed for the 2024/5 budget passed in Chichester on Friday. The council also removed action on climate change as a key council priority.

This will be a particular blow for residents in the new coastal constituency of Chichester who have suffered significant flooding of roads in the area during the winter.

“Flood, drainage and sewage issues are some of the main concerns I hear from local residents. To reduce spending in this area now is short-term thinking at its worst,” said Jess Brown-Fuller, the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Chichester.

Speaking after the county council meeting on Friday, Liberal Democrat Deputy Group Leader Cllr Kate O’Kelly (Midhurst) said: “Once again, the Conservatives are content to pay lip service to West Sussex residents concerns but then refuse to go the extra mile in funding them properly. And on both flood prevention and climate change, they have quietly reduced their commitment.

“The Liberal Democrats are out on the doorsteps every week listening to residents and we know that potholes and flooding are people’s two biggest concerns. We proposed both more money for road maintenance than the Conservatives, and increased funding and capacity for drainage improvements. Meanwhile the Conservatives are also ignoring the growing mental health crisis in our children while we have found money to provide more much needed support. The Liberal Democrat proposals are both resident-focused and financially sound being funded entirely by back office savings and additional income.”

Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Chichester) added: “The Conservatives nationally have starved local government of much needed funding for too long. Our roads are crumbling and flooding and only the Liberal Democrats seem to realise the urgency of dealing with these. The Conservatives locally may try to claim they are different to their government, but they have quietly removed any mention of action on climate change from their priorities and cutting funding for issues like flood prevention that climate change is causing. The only way forward for West Sussex now is to vote for change. Change at Westminster and change at Chichester is possible with the Liberal Democrats”