UNESCO: 80th Anniversary
Julia Buckley Excerpts(1 day, 13 hours ago)
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Julia Buckley (Shrewsbury) (Lab)
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Mid Derbyshire (Jonathan Davies) on securing this important debate, and colleagues on the excellent contributions we have enjoyed so far.
We are very fortunate in Shropshire to be home to the Ironbridge Gorge, with 10 heritage sites forming the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. Forty years ago, in 1986—when I was just starting secondary school—it became one of the first locations in the UK to be designated a UNESCO world heritage site. That recognised its unique and unrivalled contribution to the birth of the industrial revolution in the 18th century.
However, flooding is a persistent threat to Ironbridge and all along the River Severn, as we were unfortunately reminded this weekend. We recently had severe flood events, in 2020, 2021 and 2022, with storms such as Dudley, Eunice and Franklin. In each flood, at least two of the museums were breached, and water was waist high, leading to land slips and road closures, which of course deter visitors to the sites, and causing lasting damage to historic structures and the Wharfage area.
To combat flooding, Government funding has supported local authorities to implement stabilisation and flood defence measures, including piling, improved drainage and river bank protection, to mitigate the risk of more landslides and damage from heavy rain, high groundwater levels and recurring river floods. As chair of the River Severn Partnership caucus and lead on the Environmental Audit Committee flood resilience report, I have worked consistently with stakeholders to approach this issue holistically. That means shifting the mindset, and Government resources, away from reaction and more into prevention, preparedness and co-ordination. I hope the Minister will work collaboratively with our colleagues in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ensure that heritage sites, and particularly UNESCO sites such as Ironbridge Gorge, are prioritised in the consideration of flooding resilience. I will ensure she receives her own copy of the flood resilience report to help in that endeavour.