Time to Invest

With all the flooding in the recent months caused by heavy rain the big question is should the water companies, local authorities, and the government  be investing in better drainage in the United Kingdom.

Clearly the answer to that question by anyone that has been flood in recent months will be a massive yes. It is clear that the weather is starting to change and we have to proactive and start working on the drainage systems in the UK before it becomes too late on a massive scale, rather than tinkering around the edges after the event.

What I find interesting is that people aren't talking about this in the press accept in Northern Ireland. You would have thought that it would have become a big issue nationally. As it is the stories of the floods make the news but not the solutions to preventing future flooding. Politicians don't seem to want to tackle the problem head on and come up with solutions.

I don't know much about drainage but simply looking on the internet in to who owns the drains in the United Kingdom you realise that it is a complex problem. Some parts of the system are own by the water companies, other bits local authorities and central government is involved too. Clearly this makes any coordinated approach to tackling the problem far more complex, but it doesn't mean it impossible.

Central government has to start drafting legislation to get the owners of the various parts of the system working together and start the process of upgrading the drainage system. This could involve looking at the who process of ownership and placing it the hands of the water companies themselves to simplify the system for all public drainage systems. This of course would require them to do maintenance on the drainage systems currently carried out by local councils but this could be funded through levies paid to them from the public purse by the local councils.

Then comes planed investment in the system and who pays. The government wants to invest money into the economy, it wants the construction industry to build us out of the mess we are in, by creating work in the sector. Currently it wants that money to go into housing, which would simply destabilise the already failing housing market in the United Kingdom. So why not invest in the drainage system itself and create the jobs in construction there. Of course this would mean that their would be an increase in water bills for all since any money lent to the water companies would have to be repaid at some point but we can't carry on as we are. 

It is time to invest and we will have to take the hit if we don't want more flooding in the future. The Government need to start acting now to upgrade the complete system. It needs to start planning with the water companies and the local authorities the future needs of the country. It is a massive civil engendering project but the work needs to start now before is too late.