I share the sadness of many residents when seeing the images of further substantial erosion along the Hemsby coastline. Over the weekend I liaised closely with Conservative councillors who were on the scene. Today, I met with the two local ward councillors, and Hemsby residents, James Bensly and Noel Galer. We were joined by the Leader of the Council Carl Smith and the Chairman of the Environment Committee Paul Wells.
Erosion is a continuing concern along the Norfolk Coast. It is sad whenever more land is lost and properties are threatened. I would like to thank the Borough Council, and the volunteers at the Hemsby Lifeboat, who once again supported residents during a difficult time.
For many years the Borough Council has worked hard to find a way to provide some degree of protection for Hemsby. I am sure that every stakeholder including the excellent local campaign group Save Hemsby Coastline, the Parish Council, the private landowner of the beach, and local businesses will continue to support these efforts. I was heartened to hear that the council is still pursuing an interim solution, to which they allocated approximately £250,000 as part of the most recent budget, as we collectively work to secure funding for the larger scheme.
As the local Member of Parliament, I will continue to support this work and will help the council in any way that I can, by continuing to highlight this issue in Parliament, to government ministers and the appropriate public agencies.
