A PETITION will be launched demanding the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM) provide essential flood protection funding.

Councillors of the Wraysbury Parish Council (WPC) agreed at a meeting on September 21 (Monday) to submit an online petition on RBWM’s website urging the council to put their side of the funding into the River Thames Scheme.

The £640 million partnership scheme – which has representatives such as Surrey County Council – was set up with three channels to protect 15,000 homes from Datchet to Teddington from flooding.

However, councillor David Cannon (Conservative: Datchet, Horton, and Wraysbury), lead member for public safety, announced last month partners in the project have decided to progress without channel one – which would’ve protected Datchet to Bells Weir.

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This was due to partners not ‘prepared to wait further’ for RBWM to secure £43 million out of its £53 million commitment by lobbying government to set a flood levy on residents to pay for it.

National Flood Prevention Party member, councillor Ewan Larcombe (Datchet, Horton, and Wraysbury) told the Observer WPC members approved his proposal to submit a petition to RBWM for his ward and Old Windsor to get the same degree of flood protection as towns like Windsor, Eton, and Maidenhead have.

Cllr Cannon dismissed the petition as “petty party politics” as he states the council will find other schemes to defend residents’ homes from flooding, calling it “a much bigger issue”.

He said: “As ward councillor for Datchet, Horton and Wraysbury, and a local resident, who worked in the flood waters as part of the emergency response in the 2014 flood event, I am fully supportive of measures that minimise flood risk and promote flood mitigation schemes.

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“As lead member for public protection, I can state that RBWM are continuing to work with the Environment Agency and the government to identify deliverable and affordable flood mitigation schemes for Datchet, Wraysbury and Old Windsor and appropriate funding streams for them, any support the parish council and Cllr Larcombe wish to provide will be welcome. “

Speaking to the Observer, Cllr Larcombe said it will be “no problem” for the petition to reach 1,500 signatures – which is needed for it to be discussed at a full council meeting.

The wording of the petition is yet to be “rubber-stamped” – but is due to be submitted next week with the chair of WPC, Margaret Lenton, submitting it on behalf of the parish council.