MPs urged to stop promising sea defences to voters

MPs have been told by a council to stop "selling false promises" of new sea defences to homeowners impacted by coastal erosion.

Daniel Candon, the Conservative cabinet member for economic growth at Great Yarmouth Borough Council, said politicians have been attempting to win votes through pledging to get new coastal protection for Hemsby, Norfolk.

He said villagers were now having to face "hard truths" that sea defences were unlikely to transpire after experts warned they would be ineffective.

Rupert Lowe, the independent MP for Great Yarmouth, said he would continue to fight for funding for sea defences in the area.

Candon made the comments at a council meeting on Thursday, in which councillors unanimously supported the authority trying to acquire compensation through an insurance scheme for the people living in the 9,000 properties at risk.

The rate of erosion has increased in Hemsby, with 10m (33ft) of cliff being lost in one night and 26 homes being demolished.

The escalation of erosion has not been caused by storms but rather natural tidal processes, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

At Thursday's meeting, Carl Smith, the Conservative leader of the council, said: "Without these changes [of compensation], our residents will suffer immeasurably from the stress and emotional and financial burdens of coastal change."

On Thursday James Bensly, a Conservative councillor and cabinet member for coastal management, added: "What I cannot accept is a system that allows people to lose everything through no fault of their own… We need structural change."

Trevor Wainwright, the authority's Labour group leader, said he supported "any action that will help people facing anxiety and hardship from this situation".

In a statement, Lowe said: "I am entirely uninterested in what these councillors have to say about Hemsby - residents have been left to rot and watch their homes get swept away under this council for years.

"My position is clear. We must provide proper support to those who are forced to move, but also explore opportunities to deliver the defences Hemsby requires."

He added he was "working with various specialists to ascertain quotes for the defences, but also a study on how much tax revenue will be saved".

On Wednesday the government announced £18m of funding for future prevention measures in Norfolk, Suffolk and East Riding, Yorkshire.

Lowe welcomed the measure but said he would continue to work on costings for defences.

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