Sussex councils fear new flooding tax for residents (From The Argus)

Sussex councils fear new flooding tax for residents

3:00pm Thursday 19th November 2009 in

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Council leaders fear putting local authorities in charge of managing the risk of flooding will leave taxpayers with massive bills.

The Flood and Water Management Bill, one of 15 pieces of legislation announced in the Queen's Speech as part of the Government's programme for the new Parliamentary session, will seek to define responsibilities more clearly.

The Bill, which is expected to be published in full later this week, would give local authorities the lead role they have been calling for in managing surface water flooding - where heavy rainfall causes drains to overflow.

But council leaders said they were concerned it would leave them with huge extra costs.

Responsibility for flooding is currently shared between local authorities, the Environment Agency, water companies and others.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has insisted that any new cost on local authorities will be "fully funded" from existing budgets and central government.

New powers would make it easier for water companies to impose restrictions on non-essential domestic water use - such as hosepipe bans - during droughts.