Terry Jermy and West Norfolk Council delighted to receive £250,000 to help with drainage board levies

Councillors and MPs are celebrating after confirmation that the area will receive £254,000 to help with drainage board funding.

This follows Terry Jermy, the Labour MP for South West Norfolk, asking a question in the House of Commons last week of the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner.

Mr Jermy highlighted that many councils were increasingly concerned about the cost of levies for internal drainage boards - in the case of West Norfolk Council, it is now contributing the equivalent of 44% of its entire council tax income.

Responding on behalf of Ms Rayner, Jim McMahon MP, the Minister of State for Local Government, acknowledged Mr Jermy’s concerns - and confirmed that the borough council would be receiving a share of a one-off grant designed to assist authorities with high internal drainage board levies.

Internal drainage boards manage water levels in an area where there is a need for drainage. They undertake works to reduce flood risk to people and properties, and manage water levels for agricultural and environmental needs within each area.

Mr Jermy said: “I am very pleased to receive confirmation from the Minister that this funding will be awarded to the borough council, one of the largest sums awarded from this fund.

“Internal drainage boards undertake crucial work in areas such as South West Norfolk but we need a more sustainable funding solution.

“I’m pleased the Minister acknowledged more work needs to be done and I look forward to engaging with the department on this issue moving forward.”

The borough council’s cabinet member for finance, Cllr Chris Morley, said: “We welcome the interim allocation of money to councils affected by the way in which Internal Drainage Boards are funded and thank Terry for taking up this matter.

“This is a pressing issue that has a real impact on services as 44% of the council tax we receive goes on the IDB levy.

“We are also grateful to Terry for putting a question about IDB funding to Jim McMahon (Minister of State in the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government).”

Cllr Morley added: “Terry clearly appreciates the need for a long-term solution to this problem, which we hope will be forthcoming in the next financial settlement.”

Questions over the ways the IDBs are paid in West Norfolk have been at the forefront of many local politicians’ minds over the past year.

Towards the end of last year, the borough council began to call for the amount it is obliged to pay them to be reduced.

The authority wrote to the secretary of state for local government to argue the current funding model of the IDBs is “unfair and disproportionate”.

There are more than ten different IDBs, each covering different catchment areas in Norfolk.

In West Norfolk, which is prone to flooding, there are seven different organisations, each requiring funding from the borough council. Other sources of contributions include landowners and farmers.