Paterson arrives in Somerset, Eustace beats him to it
The Secretary of State for the Environment, Owen Paterson MP, is rumoured to have arrived in Somerset already despite reports from the BBC that he would be delayed until tomorrow. However Somerset is fast becoming the “must visit” destination for government ministers. On Saturday evening (25th January) George Eustace the Minister in Defra responsible for flooding visited Long Sutton Golf Club at the invitation of David Warburton, Conservative candidate for the Somerton and Frome constituency. A number of local business people and residents were invited to the meeting, hosted by Graham and Felicity Holloway, owners of the Golf Club to voice their frustrations at the response of the Environment Agency but equally to explain about the floods and the impact they have had on local business and employment. Many also wanted to express frustration that the EA had done nothing in the summer to prepare for flooding and still apparently refuse to entertain the idea of a meaningful dredge of the waterways. David Warburton told us after the meeting that “There is now much movement on this subject and I am hopeful that all of the pressure will get the results we want. What are those? Proper management and dredging of the rivers and waterways to start with.”