Agenda item

The Committee considered a report of the Director of Environment and Transport which provided an overview of the findings of the public consultation undertaken on the draft Leicestershire Local Flood Risk Management Strategy and sought the Committee’s views on the updated Strategy prior to this being presented to the Cabinet for approval at its meeting on 24 November 2023. A copy of the report, marked ‘Agenda Item 8’, is filed with these minutes.

Arising from the discussion, the following points were arising:

i)               Members welcomed the new Strategy, which was timely in light of recent flood events in the area, and thanked officers for what was a thorough and comprehensive report.

ii)             The Committee supported the proposed partnership approach with communities. It was suggested that helping residents be flood aware was an effective way of managing future events and that the online platform which was currently being developed would be a useful point of information and guidance for residents of Leicestershire.

iii)            In 2020 a Scrutiny Review Panel had been established to look at the Council’s approach to flooding in partnership with other strategic organisations. The Panel had made 26 recommendations and Members were pleased to hear that the Strategy had been developed to address the issues and areas of concern identified by the Panel.

iv)            A Member queried to what extent the impacts of future developments across the County and associated land drainage issues had been considered and how these would be managed/mitigated as part of the Strategy. The Director explained that as the Lead Local Flooding Authority the County Council had a role at a strategic and local level as a statutory consultee. If consulted by the local planning authority (district councils) it would be able to comment and make recommendations regarding flood risks both as part of the local plan process and in respect of individual developments at the planning application stage.

v)             A Member raised concerns regarding larger commercial developments which impacted surface water runoff and queried what could be done differently with commercial developers to address this. It was noted that as the Lead Local Flooding Authority the County Council was a statutory consultee for such developments in the same way as it was for residential developments.

vi)            A Member questioned the Council’s response to public reports regarding blocked gullies, noting that these were cleaned on a scheduled basis, the timing of which might not seem appropriate when bad weather was on the horizon. The Director confirmed that whilst the Council had a timetable for cleaning gullies across the County, reports of a blockage in a flood risk area would be considered individually and action taken where appropriate. However, blocked gullies were often not necessarily the cause of flooding and other issues around the area could be having an effect. The Member was asked to share details of a particular local concern regarding a blocked gully, which the Director undertook to look into further.

vii)          In response to a Members query, the Director confirmed that following a flood event, subject to certain criteria being met, an investigation would be carried out to determine the cause of the flood. As each case would be different the outcomes of each investigation would inform the solutions identified and this would be shared with partners for action.

viii)         A Member whose division had recently been affected by a flooding event highlighted the excellent work of the Flood Risk Management Team which had responded quickly, communicated well, and helped residents in recovering from the event.

ix)            The Committee thanked the Officers for the detailed and in-depth work undertaken to produce the report Strategy and for the work undertaken in responding to events. The Lead Member for Highways, Transportation and Flooding further commended the Flood Risk Management Team which he said was a small team that did an excellent job.

RESOLVED:

a)       That the report on the Leicestershire Local Flood Risk Management Strategy – Public Consultation Outcomes and Publication be noted and welcomed;

b)       That the comments now made by the Committee be submitted to the Cabinet for consideration at its meeting in November 2023.