THE Government has agreed to put £2million towards getting Somerset’s 20-year flood plan off the ground in the wake of devastating flooding in the region.

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs has agreed to find the lion’s share of £2.7million needed to pay for flood defence work in the first year of the long-term plan.

It comes after the action plan was put together by council chiefs, the Government and the Environment Agency earlier this year after some of the worst flooding in recent memory.

Bridgwater MP Ian Liddell Grainger said though it was great news about the cash being available for the county it was vital that the fine tuning was in place to ensure that the money was spent where it was needed and on the right project.

He said: “We need to work out how the money comes down to us, whether it’s through the Environment Agency, a direct government grant or via the district or county councils.

“We’d like it to come to the new river authorities, but they’e not set up to have bank accounts or things like that at present.

“We know the money’s there and we want to ensure that the results of this spending last 50 years for the people of Somerset, not just a few.

“We’ll be tying up some very important loose ends in the next few days. I’ve a scheduled meeting with the Secretary of State for DEFRA where some of these negotiations will take place.”

Around £750,000 will have to be found from other more local ‘stakeholders’ – the county council, district councils and the drainage board – and council chiefs in Taunton have asked them for support.

County council leader John Osman, who is also chairman of the Flood Action Plan group, wrote to ministers last month demanding that the Government made sure the money was found or warning that the 20-year plan would fall at the first hurdle.