Agenda item

Victoria Boorman, Flood and Water Management Specialist, introduced a report detailing the Council’s roles and responsibilities as a Lead Local Flood Authority, its required actions during a major flood event, and lessons learned from recent flood events.

The Committee asked a number of questions, including:

Many flood events were caused by fly-tipped waste or vegetation blocking waterways. What was the Council doing to address these issues?

The Council was aware of such issues, and was attempting to review water catchment areas as a whole. The Council’s Highways team was regularly clearing sites at least 3 times a week (or more during adverse weather conditions). All 32 thousand gullies within the Borough were cleared annually.

Vegetation blocking waterways included freshly mown grass clippings. Had the Council investigated the use of grass boxes to prevent this?

A review of the effectiveness and cost of using such boxes could be carried out.

Residents were regularly contacting their Ward Councillors regarding large trees in Yeading Brooke and other sites. Who should Councillors contact to arrange action to clear the sites?

Concerns that main rivers, such as Yeading Brooke, were at risk of imminent flooding should be notified to the Environmental Agency who had responsibility to clear such sites. Contact details were on the Council’s website, though the officer could share the details with the Committee following the meeting.

Was there a record/audit of gullies and other sites cleared annually?

The Council’s Highways team contracted a specialist service to carry out the clearing work, who then reported to Highways upon completion. Highways then maintained a report of sites cleared, and to be cleared.

The Council’s flood officers published an annual report each year. Could Councillors be involved when officers were drafting this report?

Officers would happily receive any information that Councillors could provide.

Could the Council be more effective when challenging landowners or other agencies to carry out their riparian duties, potentially through new policy?

The Council carried out its riparian duties where it was landowner, through teams such as Highways or Green Spaces. For other sites, private landowners were expected to maintain their own areas. The Environment Agency take the lead on issues on main rivers such as the River Colne, and were now in the process of carrying out a survey of all their sites, and the trees therein, to determine those that posed a flood risk. This survey comprised over 200 locations, and Council flood officers were now in regular contact with the Agency to ensure this continued to be carried out as a priority. Canals were often the responsibility of the Canal and Rivers Trust, though determining who owned each side of the canal or river was often challenging. Often private landowners were not aware that they should be maintaining their sites to prevent flooding.

The Council had no powers to insist that private landowners took steps to mitigate flood risks on their own property, though conversations with the Council’s Antisocial Behaviour and Environment Team (ASBET) were currently taking place to determine the feasibility of the Council carrying out work on private land and then claiming back costs. However, such actions would require the landowner’s permission.

Residents, in conjunction with Ward Councillors, had submitted a petition regarding flooding within West Drayton, which had included correspondence with the Chairman of the Environment Agency. However, despite repeated letters, no work to address problem areas appeared to have been carried out. Could flood officers provide any help in progressing this matter?

Flood officers had, in the past, also struggled to make meaningful contact with the Environment Agency. However, officers had now been provided with a specific point of contact within the Agency, and regular meetings were being held. Feedback from these meetings, and any subsequent actions, could be shared with Ward Councillors moving forward.

Ward Councillors had not always been advised of flooding events within their wards. Could this be improved upon?

Officers could review the communications process with a view to better informing Ward Councillors, especially during flood events occurring out of hours.

It was suggested that Members could provide detail of specific flooding areas to the officer outside of the meeting.

RESOLVED:  That the report be noted.