WEEKLY COLUMN BY Stroud MP Siobhan Baillie 

GLOUCESTERSHIRE has been heavily hit by flooding following some prolonged and torrential downpours over the last few weeks.

The colder and drier weather forecast this week will hopefully help but flooding is an ongoing issue in Stroud and the surrounding villages.

Nailsworth had some recent flooding on the Old Bristol Road. Pyke Quarry in Stroud was also affected.

Last week there was a red flood warning for the Nailsworth stream at Nailsworth, Woodchester and Dudbridge.

Spare a thought for our farmers too, whose land being flooded rarely makes the news even though it impacts their livelihood and our food supplies.

The county council and Stroud District Council both have responsibilities in prevention, protection and supporting people affected by flooding.

County and district councillors will therefore be working hard for residents in this regard. Natural flood management projects are important as well as the defence barriers that we see in some areas.

I have been working with the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) on flood protection through my work as chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Wetlands.

WWT’s projects have been funded by Defra’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund. Restored wetlands can store floodwaters as well as helping wildlife and carbon capture.

Listening to WWT, the government has also consulted and will implement mandatory sustainable drainage systems (SuDs) in new developments in England this year. This means features such as soakaways, grassed areas, permeable surfaces and wetlands will be part of the new rules.

These new rules will reduce the overall amount of water in sewers and storm overflow discharges.

We need to be innovative and come up with technical solutions to stop flooding as the impact is devastating for families and businesses.

There was good news for everyone in salaried work last week.

The cut in National Insurance from 12% to 10% took place on 6th January.

For the average worker on £35,400 this is an extra £450 a year more cash in the pocket.