The former Labour prime minister, Gordon Brown had to respond to serious flooding just two days after becoming prime minister in 2007 (this was in conjunction with being faced with two unexploded car bombs in London and the Glasgow airport bomb).
2007 - Mr Brown visited the areas hit South Yorkshire that were hit by the floods.
Mr Brown said:
"I would like to pay tribute to the heroic efforts of those who have responded to the floods locally."The emergency and rescue services, local authorities, Environment Agency, voluntary sector and individual members of the public have been brave and determined in what are very distressing circumstances."I am taking immediate action to alleviate the suffering of those affected by the floods by announcing a £14 million package of support to get people back on their feet as quickly as possible."Government will continue to work closely with local councils and communities as we do everything possible to help."
It includes £10 million for local authorities to support recovery work, including getting people who have lost everything back on their feet.
Another £3 million will go towards repairing roads and bridges and a £1 million contingency fund has been set up to help replace essential household items for vulnerable individuals and their families.
2009 - Mr Brown visits Workington and Cockermouth in Cumbria and promises £1 million to hep with the immediate affects of the floods,m which swept away flood defences built only 4 years earlier.
After the flooding an estimated £1 billion worth of damage was caused by extensive flooding in 2000, a deal was struck between the then Labour government and insurance industry.
Insurers agreed to continue to cover the majority of customers living in areas prone to flooding in exchange for government promises to strengthen flood defences. However, this deal is due to expire next year and no replacement scheme has yet been finalised.
The Council of Mortgage Lenders has warned that the uncertainty over the future arrangements for insuring homes in flood prone areas was likely to push up premiums.
In a statement to MPs last July, Mrs Spelman said she was close to reaching a new deal with the insurance industry.
It is now November and nothing has been done to help or to tackle the problem of insurance in flood hit areas.
Mary Creagh MP, Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to today’s warning by the Environment Agency and Met Office that more flooding is due over the winter months, said:
"Flood risk is the biggest threat we face from climate change, yet this incompetent Tory-led Government has cut investment in flood defences by 30 per cent and broken their promise to get a deal on flood insurance by July 2012. Today’s warning that winter flooding is likely shows that Government Ministers needs to get a grip and get a deal on flood insurance."
This is what Eric Pickles said in July 2012.
THE Government has said it will look “sympathetically” at requests for money to help Tyneside councils continue the recovery after last week’s flooding.
Councils already facing swingeing cuts from central Government were left facing broken roads, damaged schools and customer service centres – having already had to cut budgets following two years of Government spending reductions.
David Cameron said Government would be very generous to flood hit areas.
In actual fact that is what he made it look like he said, but what he actually said was this:
The Prime Minister has told MPs that he has asked the communities and local government department to be 'generous' with their help to people trying to get their lives back together again after last week's flash flooding.Mr Cameron said ministers should lend a 'very sympathetic ear' to those councils and other organisations who were setting up hardship funds for victims who either had no insurance or were under insured.He was responding to the North West Durham MP ,Pat Glass, who saw her home village of Lanchester badly affected.
Not quite the same thing was it? I live in hope that one David Cameron will actually keep a promise he has made. I bet those that were affected by floods in 2007 and 2009 were mightily glad they had Gordon Brown as PM and not this bungling incompetent lying buffoon David Cameron! He wouldn't know the truth if it bit him on his spreading behind!
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