Local government secretary Robert Jenrick said, “I have activated the emergency Ballwin scheme to support communities affected by storm Ciara in west Yorkshire, Cumbria and Lancashire.”
It is completely evident that, as the storm was a national tragedy in most cases, the government was quick to respond with adequate aid. But how about natural disasters that have affected the north alone that the government conveniently ignored?
Not too long after Christmas 2015, York faced the worst flooding in a generation, and by Monday 28th December, the Ouse peaked at about 5.2 metres above its normal summer level. This was not the first time that York had been flooded, as it has consistently flooded regularly over many years. York is not even the only location in the north. In winter 2015 and 2016, floods all over the north, such as Northumberland, Cumbria, Durham and Yorkshire.
Government responses being to commission up to £500 for each home affected, £20,000 to rebuild agriculture, and other forms of budgets to curb the effects of the storms, which even to begin with, was a result of constant rallying by northern protests and officials.
There has been a significant cut of funding for floods over the years, and northern parts of England are more affected by these floods.
Even so, the response towards these tragic floods was immensely delayed, while the response to storm Ciara was almost immediate.
It has been a long-known fact that people outside the U.K. are only familiar with London, and maybe Manchester. However, the government has always turned a blind eye on issues that involve the north, such as natural disasters and the direct correlation between natural disasters and poverty in the north. The government must address their role in the fully apparent divide between life in the south and life in the north.
