A SHORT-TERM solution to frequent flooding at the Hythe in Colchester could be set to move a step closer with a council set to vote over the funding of a pump.
Colchester councillor Darius Laws has proposed an amendment to Colchester Council’s budget which would allocate funding for a pump to alleviate regular flooding at Haven Road.
Car trader Dave Smith, who regularly commutes through the area, has seen his business suffer due to the issue.
Mr Smith started a petition calling for the funding of a pump, which would reportedly come with a £100,000 price tag.
The petition has attracted more than 150 signatures, with one commenter posting: “I shouldn’t have to check the tide table before driving through a major town.”
The amendment will be considered at an extraordinary meeting of Colchester Council at the Town Hall from 6pm on Thursday.
Mr Laws’ proposal also calls on the Lib Dem, Labour and Green coalition administration to freeze its proportion of council tax.
It states: “Colchester Conservatives recognise that a majority of voters across the borough of Colchester voted for parties who proposed to freeze the borough’s proportion of council tax.
“Therefore, in the spirit of collaboration, we wish to provide the incoming administration with the opportunity to deliver on their key election promises.”
The proposed amendments include a freeze on council tax, the funding of a full-time ecology officer and funding for a pump for flooding issues at the Hythe.
The Hythe Taskforce, a cross-party group set up by Colchester MP Will Quince in a bid to find a solution to the flooding issue, last met on June 10.
Ahead of the meeting, Mr Quince said: “I set up the taskforce to bring people and organisations together to find solutions to the Haven Road flooding and the quay collapse at Fieldgate Quay.
“Although considerable exploratory work has been undertaken, we now need to see Essex County Council and Colchester Council step up to fund the short and long-term solutions.
“We are fast approaching the one year anniversary of the Hythe Taskforce, residents and businesses rightly want to see action.”
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