The Socialist 26 July 2007 Flood crisis: New Labour ignored warnings New Labour ignored flood warnings Government cuts add to flooding crisis Postal workers: Their fight is our fight Critical dispute for postal workers NHS: no more cuts, no more privatisation Support Glasgow's social work strikers Metronet walks away from trouble... Airports industry expansion plans fail to take off Brown's 'affordable housing' plan - all smoke and mirrors? If this is New Labour democracy... Vicious bile and grovelling sweet talk Visteon workers continue fight for jobs National Shop Stewards' Network hits the ground running Another missed opportunity on teachers' pay Erdogan's election victory reveals Turkey's faultlines Mass protests planned at the APEC summit |
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Home | The Socialist 26 July 2007 | Join the Socialist Party Floods - who pays the bill?AS SEVERE flooding hit England again, South Yorkshire and other areas were still suffering from the after-effects of June's floods - made worse by the New Labour government's inadequate response. John Jones, SheffieldThe insurance companies themselves are exploiting the situation. Shortly after the floods hit Sheffield, a Walkley resident was turned down for house and contents insurance by three leading companies. His misfortune was to live in the same S6 postcode as Hillsborough, which was flooded, even though Walkley is so high that if it floods it will be time for the rest of Sheffield to relocate to the Peak District!
Whilst two of these companies have since lifted the 'temporary' ban, it is a clear sign of the insurance firms' attitude. With an estimated £2 billion damage from the recent floods alone, the Association of British Insurers' statement that premia will not be increased must be treated with some scepticism. Those on low incomes in flooded areas may find insurance unaffordable even if they can get it. Some workers pay in other ways. Hospital workers who couldn't get into work in Sheffield were told they will have to make up lost time or take unpaid leave. This is despite people being advised not to travel on the day after the floods. Those living in the worst-hit areas would have found it physically impossible to get into work! Meanwhile, people living in rural areas particularly can expect things to get even worse. The Environment Agency's scoring system gives areas with higher population concentrations priority. As the Agency's Ridings flood risk manager warned Yorkshire Floods Defence Committee: "Some systems we previously maintained in rural areas may not get funding in future." This will not only affect workers in rural areas. 60% of the pea crop is already estimated to be lost and blight is threatening the potato crop. This will inevitably mean higher food prices. This will be on top of higher council taxes unless the government provides full compensation for repairs in flood-hit areas. In this issue
Postal workers' strike
Socialist Party NHS campaign
Socialist Party news and analysis
Tales from the council chambers
Socialist Party Marxist analysis Socialist Party reviews
Workplace news and analysis
International socialist news and analysis
Socialism 2007
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