The fight to keep flooding at bay has led one resident to Westminster, where she has lobbied MPs about the Flood and Water Bill.

Phiala Mehring, founder of the Loddon Valley Residents' Association (LVRA) – set up to give borough residents a platform to lobby for better flood defences, describes her trip to Parliament and what changes she believes are needed to make the bill work.

As a mere member of the public, going to Westminster is a daunting adventure. 

This isn’t helped when you go through the airport-like security with armed police giving you the silent gimlet eye. 

Carl, who works for John Redwood, MP for Wokingham, greets me in the waiting area and we visit one of the many cafes, restaurant and bars within the walls of Westminster.

Carl and I discuss what LVRA have been doing recently, the frustrations (and there are many) and the successes. I make no apologies for calling it flood mitigation when the rest of the country tends to refer to flood management.

Flood management is a step forward, but I am aiming for mitigation.

My main reason for going to Westminster was to witness a committee session of the Flood and Water Bill and then speak to the MPs involved.

At this point in the Bill’s life it is being scrutinised and amended by a select group of MPs including Huw Irranca-Davies, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Anne McIntosh, Shadow Minister, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Mr Martin Harwood, representing the Liberal Democrats.

For LVRA, and many other flood groups including the National Flood Forum, there are some key elements which we feel are missing or need amending in the Bill:

-One stop shop. Mitigating flooding is a heinously complicated process. There are so many authorities involved, for example, the Environment Agency, councils and water companies.

Who on earth does a flood victim call to get help? The Bill needs to address this from the flood victim’s point of view.

- Funding. Flooding is becoming much more frequent and ferocious and you don’t have to live by a river to be affected.

In the 2007 flood 75 per cent of insurance claims came from homes and businesses flooded by surface water. More funding is desperately required to reduce the incidence of flooding.

- New developments built on inappropriate land. To you and I it seems crazy that in an area known for flooding, whether they be river or surface/foul (sewage) water, new large housing developments are planned.  This has to be legislated against.

- Insurance. Did you know that people who have flooded often face insurance premiums of between £5,000 and £15,000 per year and excesses in excess of £25,000?

This is no exaggeration believe you me, and local residents are faced with this nightmare.What is the point of getting insurance at this price? The average cost of repairing a home affected by flooding is £25,000.

So, what did I achieve? For starters, most of the committee now know who LVRA are and have a document detailing our concerns.

This may sound like a minor detail, but a year spent working in the flooding arena has taught me that persistence and communication are the way forward.

I have also learnt an awful lot more about flood mitigation and the Bill.  This will be used in our battle against local flooding. At last, and by no means least, Mr Redwood is going to help us achieve things which we could not do ourselves.

Finally, I think the most important thing I have learnt in the year since setting up LVRA is that you need to engage with authorities involved.

Let me give you an example, I have found that working with the council, regularly attending council meetings and asking questions at them gets much more done than sending a vitriolic email to your local councillor about the lack of movement in flood prevention.

This works for any local problems, such as roads, schools and youth activities.

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