New drainage system for village wins approval

The decision to go ahead with the scheme was made by Lincolnshire County Council

A new drainage system costing more than £500,000 has been approved for a Lincolnshire village following years of flooding.

The work in Mount Lane, Kirkby la Thorpe, near Sleaford, is expected to take up to 26 weeks when it gets under way.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, 57 homes in the village have been flooded or been close to it in the past 10 years.

Lincolnshire County Council members voted to approve the scheme following questions over its value for money at a meeting on Thursday.

The meeting was requested by Conservative councillors Richard Davies, Martin Hill and Charlotte Vernon.

Davies said they had not seen a cost-benefit analysis comparing it with projects in other places.

"I think that it's important before we spend more than half a million pounds that we're sure [of] the reasons for one location versus another," he said.

But Reform's Thomas Catton said the council had done its due diligence.

And Sean Matthews, leader of the Reform-controlled authority, said the project was a preventative measure and added: "I think this is the right amount of money to spend on it."

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