Decision details

a)    That the key roles of the County Council as the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) and the Local Highway Authority (LHA) with respect to flooding be noted;

b)    That the extent and impacts of flooding events in Leicestershire over the last two years be noted;

c)    That the proposed priorities for further funding towards flood related activities, for consideration and prioritisation as part of the 2026-30 Medium Term Financial Strategy, be approved;

d)    That the Director of Environment and Transport, in consultation with the Cabinet Lead Member and the Director of Corporate Resources, be authorised to maximise opportunities to bid for funding from external sources and funding providers.

(KEY DECISION)

REASONS FOR DECISION

Recent flood events over the past two years, as outlined in paragraphs 49 to 59, have had a significant impact on many communities across Leicestershire and this in turn has placed substantial pressure on the resources of the County Council in its capacity as the LLFA and the LHA in trying to support those communities.

The LLFA’s and the LHA’s resource is focused on statutory requirements as detailed in paragraphs 28 to 48.  Whilst the LLFA will endeavour to do everything it can to support communities in the management of local flood risk, it should be emphasised that the LLFA is not responsible for, nor is it required by law to, resolve all flooding matters.  The LLFA does not receive funding for this purpose.  Likewise, the LHA can only apply its risk-based approach to gully cleansing to the best of its capabilities with the resource levels that it has.

Additional one-off funding, allocated as part of the 2025-29 MTFS, as set out in paragraphs 64 to 66, has helped to manage some of this pressure with flooding in particular, by providing additional resource to address the impacts and workload set out in the report, as occurrences of flooding have become more frequent in recent years.

Recommended funding options are proposed in paragraphs 67 to 71 as a focus for consideration as part of the 2026-30 MTFS process.

The requests for additional resource represent steps to help address the work generated by the recent major flood events.  It will also allow the LLFA and the LHA to set out a more resilient business as usual resource to manage flood risk impacts, building on the previous one-off funding allocated.

Under the direction of the Director of Environment and Transport, the LLFA will continue to maximise the opportunities for funding from external sources and providers towards the implementation of flood alleviation projects, as outlined in paragraphs 38 to 41.

As the LHA, the County Council is responsible for the safe operation of the highways and transport network and the maintenance approach to highways assets.  It has been necessary to undertake additional activities to respond to flood events in line with these responsibilities.