Street to host flood resilience event at Millfield School

By Laura Linham 24th Sep 2026

Local News by Laura Linham 1 hour ago

Somerset Council has agreed the next steps for a £50m flood resilience programme, with a community event planned for Millfield School in Street on Wednesday, 21 October. The council approved the programme on Wednesday, 23 September, and says some funding will reach communities before winter.

The money was announced by the Government in June. Since then, the council has worked with partners on a programme covering 15 projects across Somerset, including river desilting, more frequent gully clearance, improvements to pumping and support for communities preparing for floods.

The first allocations include £100,000 for Somerset Prepared, which provides small grants for community emergency equipment and training. Another £50,000 will go to council emergency response teams for equipment including communications kits and power packs, while £500,000 has been allocated to clear gullies more often in areas prone to flooding.

The council has not named a Street-specific project or said whether any of that money will be spent in the town.

Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts, the council's lead member for communities, climate change and environment, said: "This is a fantastic opportunity for the Council, partner agencies and communities across Somerset to work together and ensure we make the best use possible of the funding. A new programme advisory board with representatives from key agencies and the community has been working on the draft programme with the aim of moving at pace to deliver some key measures as soon as possible.

The My Community Programme will be a crucial part of this."

Through that programme, the council is speaking to clerks and flood wardens about local measures to help protect homes and businesses. It aims to start work in its first locations by spring 2027, although those locations have not yet been announced.

The Somerset Prepared Community Resilience Day at Millfield School will bring together councils, community groups, specialists and businesses for talks, workshops and demonstrations. It is part of Somerset Flood Awareness Month, which will also include events and information at libraries across the county.