{"id":68663,"date":"2026-01-28T15:52:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T15:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/?p=68663"},"modified":"2026-02-02T10:26:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T10:26:46","slug":"devon-county-council-leader-issues-urgent-call-government-storm-recovery-funding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/devon-county-council-leader-issues-urgent-call-government-storm-recovery-funding\/","title":{"rendered":"Devon County Council Leader issues urgent call to Government for storm recovery funding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Devon County Council Leader, Councillor Julian Brazil, has issued an urgent request to Government for financial support to help communities hit by Storms Ingrid and Chandra.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The call follows significant disruption and damage causing major road closures, and flooding to properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storm Ingrid severely damaged the sea wall between Dawlish and Dawlish Warren. It also caused extensive damage to homes in Torcross, and undermined parts of the A379 Slapton coast road.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Councillor Brazil said the escalating severity and frequency of storms highlight the urgent need for substantial national investment to protect residents, businesses and transport links.<\/p>\n\n\n

\r\n\t
\r\n

\u201cWe are experiencing more frequent and more severe storms. This is having a significant impact on people\u2019s lives,\u201d said Councillor Brazil.<\/p><\/div>\r\n \t\t

\u201cOur communities rely on resilient transport infrastructure to stay safe and to access work, education and essential services.<\/p>\n

\u201cYet once again this week, the consequences of decades of under\u2011investment by central government in Devon is being felt across our county.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t<\/blockquote>\r\n

\r\n\t
\r\n\t\t\"Councillor\r\n
\r\n Councillor Julian Brazil, Leader of the Council<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n <\/figure>\r\n <\/div>\r\n \r\n <\/div>\n\n\n

He praised the efforts of County Council officers and emergency crews, who have been working relentlessly to keep roads open and support affected residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, he warned that local authorities can no longer continue to manage the scale of damage caused by increasingly extreme weather without meaningful Government intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cOur teams have done an extraordinary job,\u201d he said. \u201cBut there is only so much we can do when Government funding continues to decline in real terms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe aftermath of this weekend\u2019s storm and now Storm Chandra makes it clear that we urgently need national support to repair the damage, strengthen our defences and build long\u2011term resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Cllr Brazil confirmed he will be contacting Ministers and inviting Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds to visit to see first-hand the most affected communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":68667,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[24,25,986],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-68663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dcc-homepage","category-environment-and-climate-change","category-roads-and-transport"],"acf":[],"featured_image":{"ID":68667,"title":"Resizing pics for News Centre (13)","alt":"Waves crashing in to the sea defence at Torcross, following Storm Ingrid","description":"","caption":"Damaged defences at Torcross following Storm 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