To the Chancellor of the Exchequer. July 28 2024
Dear Chancellor
We are writing to you with a suggestion to save about £70 million at today’s prices in the construction of the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme.
We have noted that you are seeking to save public funds, given the parlous states of UK finances and debt, and that you will be announcing some projects that will therefore be put on hold.
We would like to bring to your attention the Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme (OFAS), sponsored by the Environment Agency (EA), which on a budget created over 5 years ago will cost £179 million of public money, The budget was calculated when interest rates were much much lower.
For the last five years the Hinksey and Osney Environment Group (HOEG) and the Oxford Flood Environment Group (OFEG) have been proposing alternative schemes which would deliver the same protection as the OFAS scheme, but will take 5 years less time to achieve and save up to £70 million of public funds.These alternatives would save the irreplaceable and irreparable rare MG4a grassland meadow that has been providing flood alleviation for a thousand years.
We presented these schemes at the Public Enquiry on OFAS from November 2023 to January 2024. The Inspector’s report is awaited. At the recent meeting of the Oxfordshire County Council Planning Committee on July 15, an official of the EA team admitted they had not examined one of the most economic and efficient of these alternatives, involving pumps, because “pumps can fail”. It should be noted that the whole of the Netherlands relies on pumping solutions to keep water levels down
We realise that the money for the flood scheme comes from a dedicated £5.6 bn fund for 2021-2027. Savings on the OFAS scheme would free up money for use in other schemes.
We are writing to ask for you to “call in” the Planning Committee’s approval of this scheme so that the Government can review the unnecessary expenditure items. Full details of our would-be improvements to the OFAS scheme can be found at www.hinkseyandosney.org and www.oxfordfloodandenvironmentgroup.com
Yours sincerely.
Chris Sugden (Canon Dr)
For Hinksey and Osney Environment Group
Patricia Murphy
For Oxford Flood and Environment Group
cc National Audit Office
Layla Moran MP for Oxford West and Abingdon
Jeremy Hunt MP Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
Carla Denya MP The Green Party
Edward Davey MP Liberal Democrats