Billions of pounds are needed to save the Fens from the sea, with Greater Lincolnshire Mayor Andrea Jenkyns urged to fight to protect the area

Greater Lincolnshire’s Mayor has been urged to fight for Government funding to protect the Fens from the sea.

Billions of pounds are needed to upgrade the ageing infrastructure which protects our homes in South Holland, Boston and East Lindsey - and the Environment Agency has warned that the Fens could become ‘uninhabitable’ wetland unless immediate action is taken.

Much of the infrastructure which protects us is ageing and in need of investment. Issues have been seen in recent years around the Cowbit and Crowland Washes and the South Forty Foot Drain in Dunsby Fen plus the Swineshead Pumping Station was found to be ‘structurally compromised’ last year.

South Holland is home to around 100,000 people while the population of Boston borough is 70,500 people and up to 35% of the nation’s food passes through this area.

Greater Lincolnshire Mayor, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, the person tasked with being the county’s voice on a national stage, is being urged to do her bit to get the necessary funding to protect our homes. She told this paper that she will use her voice to lobby for investment.

South Holland and the Deepings MP, Sir John Hayes, says he will raise the issue in parliament while Boston and Skegness MP Richard Tice said he was going to write to the Defra minister.

South Holland District Council leader Nick Worth feels that the mayor is going to hold an important role in getting this investment.

He said: “This is a very serious issue for the south Lincolnshire Fens. The infrastructure and banks need serious investment if we are to protect the best farming land in the country and most importantly, our residents in this unique area of the fens.

“We will be reliant on all the Environment Agency, the drainage boards, Lincolnshire County Council and the mayor to work together to find the funding required.

“The mayor sits at the top table with the Prime Minister and she will be pivotal to ensure that we get the level of funding from central Government necessary to protect us from the effects of climate change and coastal erosion in the near future.”

The mayor, who has recently faced questions over plans to spend £74,000 on new offices, has vowed to do her bit.

She said: “Water management across Greater Lincolnshire is an important issue for all local authorities. That’s why I’m establishing the Enhanced Water Partnership. It will provide a focused, cross-organisational approach to water.

“Whilst statutory responsibilities will still sit with Lincolnshire County Council, I will use my voice, and that of the combined authority to lobby for investment and bring forward innovative solutions to protect our communities and support our businesses to grow.”

Sir John has been holding regular talks with the EA since the failure of Cowbit and Crowland Wash and is lobbying Government for solutions to the funding issues faced by the area’s internal drainage boards.

He agreed that the mayor needs to be involved in this issue and that it was important for the Government to recognise the significance of drainage.

He said: “This place can’t survive without drainage. That is important for the future of the people who live here but also this area produces much of the nation’s food supply.

“I will be raising this issue in Parliament and on the floor of the house.”

Boston area MP Mr Tice said the country could not afford to ‘surrender the fens’ and that he was working with partners to ensure the issues receives ‘national attention’.

The deputy leader of Reform UK, who was recently featured on Radio 4 programme about immigration issues in Scotland, said: “I will be writing to both the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to demand immediate action, investment, and long-term strategic support for the protection and renewal of the Fens’ critical drainage and flood defence infrastructure.

“This is not just about defending homes and farmland, it’s about safeguarding our national food security, protecting livelihoods, and preserving a unique landscape that has supported communities for generations.”