Norfolk council gets no reply to coastal erosion help plea

Norfolk County Council has confirmed it has yet to receive a response from environment secretary Steve Barclay to a letter pleading for ministers to stump up more money to protect the county from coastal erosion.

Erosion in Hemsby (Image: Mike Page)

The letter, which also called for the government to change the way it calculates how much money areas get to tackle erosion, was delivered to Mr Barclay at the end of January.

Norfolk County Council leader Kay Mason Billig (Image: Norfolk County Council)

But Conservative leader Kay Mason Billig confirmed, in response to a question from Colleen Walker, Labour county councillor for Great Yarmouth's Magdalen ward, at a recent council meeting: "There has been no response to this letter. We are chasing for a response to this."

The county council agreed in September last year to write to then environment secretary Therese Coffey amid concerns over the county's collapsing cliffs.

Leading councillors said the way the government currently calculates how much money areas get to tackle erosion means Norfolk does not get its fair share.

Environment secretary Steve Barclay

They said the formula used to award funding needs to better recognise how important tourism is to communities, rather than simply focusing cash on where the most homes are at risk - and urged a government rethink.

A farmhouse in Trimingham which was precariously perched on the clifftops was demolished (Image: Joe Giddens/PA)

Coastal erosion has had a devastating impact on communities at Hemsby, Happisburgh and Trimingham where people have lost their homes, either to the sea or because their clifftop properties had to be demolished for safety reasons.

Keir Cozens (Image: Keir Cozens)

Keir Cozens, Labour's prospective parliamentary candidate for Great Yarmouth, criticised the lack of a government response to County Hall's letter.

He said: "Hemsby has a long history of being ignored by those in power, so this is just another non-reply from a government that doesn't care.

"I know for families on the Marrams, politician's promises are too little too late.

"I've been working with those who could be in the cabinet if Labour wins, pushing for changes to the Environment Agency funding formula.

Houses are demolished in Hemsby

"We need to consider businesses and tourism so places like Hemsby can bid for the sea defences they need."

The letter was not delivered until the end of January, which Mrs Mason Billig said was because Ms Coffey had been replaced as environment secretary by Mr Barclay.