Start Bay in South Devon, need the Government to treat erosion, flooding and slow compensation with the seriousness these issues deserve

Last week I led a debate on a matter of profound importance to thousands of people across the country, including many in my constituency of South Devon.

And that issue is coastal erosion – or more specifically, what happens when human-built infrastructure, such as roads and homes, collapse and fall into the sea, or are damaged beyond repair by the intensity of storms, waves, wind and tide.

This is not just an infrastructure problem, but a human one. And the psychological toll of what is happening in these isolated shoreline communities, and the threat of what might happen to others in the future, should not be underestimated.

Sadly, this is an issue some of my constituents are grappling with right now.

On the night of February 2nd, Start Bay, one of South Devon’s most stunning stretches of coastline, was transformed into something resembling a bombsite.

The waves smashed windows, lifted roofs, and poured into homes. Huge slabs of tarmac fell into the sea and a major A-road partially collapsed. The speed and scale of what happened shocked even those who had been warning about the area’s vulnerability for years.

The impact has been severe. Travel times to work and school have increased substantially. Journeys that once took minutes now take far longer via inland diversion routes that were never designed to carry this volume of traffic. With bus routes cut or diverted, those who do not drive are effectively cut off.

For local businesses, the consequences have been equally serious. Many were already operating on thin margins. Now, they must manage reduced footfall, cancelled bookings, and the sheer visual impact of a collapsed road on what should be a thriving tourism destination.

Since this crisis began, I have held multiple meetings with the government, where I have urged them to fund repairs to the A379 Slapton Line and to fix the sea defences to protect the local villages.

I continued those conversations during a debate last week, where I expanded my asks to cover changes the government should make to its response to erosion emergencies.

The sad truth is that erosion is accelerating around the country. Yet the government’s response to the crisis in Start Bay has exposed some serious shortcomings in its current approach.

Take the Bellwin Scheme, for instance: introduced in 1983, the Bellwin Scheme is a government assistance programme that reimburses local authorities for uninsurable costs incurred during immediate emergency responses, such as severe weather or disasters.

In theory, this should apply in Start Bay. However, the scheme has shown itself to be simply unfit for purpose for coastal flooding. As the coastal protection authority, South Hams District Council has incurred huge costs since 2nd February.

However, they have been informed that only expenditure within 30 days of the event is eligible for reimbursement under the scheme. In a coastal emergency, it can easily take 30 days just to formulate and implement a plan.

We all know council budgets have been slashed to the bone and yet the current system asks them to carry risks and costs that are beyond their means to absorb.

The Bellwin scheme will be even more irrelevant after Local Government Reorganisation because a council can only claim on it when they have spent more than 0.2% of their revenue budget. The bigger a council, the higher that threshold is, which will make it harder to claim from the scheme.

Another shortcoming is the complete fragmentation in the government’s response. Currently, the community impacts of coastal erosion fall primarily to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, while the physical erosion challenges are overseen by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

That fragmentation has real human consequences and places an additional burden on local authorities, who find themselves navigating a confusing and fragmented central government landscape at precisely the moment when they need clarity and support.

I pressed the Minister on this during the debate. In response, she emphasised that departments are working with one voice, in lockstep. This is positive to hear but I am yet to see that cohesion first-hand.

Its absence points to an assumption that is deeply troubling: that the government does not fully recognise the impending impact of coastal erosion. The fact that there is no national strategy for those who lose their homes to the sea only adds to this view.

As I reminded the Minister, what this government does in response to the crisis in Start Bay will be noticed far beyond South Devon. It will send a signal about whether coastal communities can expect a national government to treat their situation with the seriousness it deserves.

The people of Start Bay are not asking for the sea to be stopped. They are asking for a government that sees them, invests in them, and works to find a way forward. They are proud and resilient communities that deserve a response equal to the challenge they face – and so do coastal communities the length and breadth of this country.