Decision details

Purpose of Report: Members will receive the Independent Flood Inquiry report and the proposals on how we will respond. The proposals will highlight the improvements and the engagement process with the public and the Environment Agency on the appropriate governance structure around the programme of work that will enable the city to steer and shape the decisions on investment and projects.

Members will be asked to review and approve the Council’s proposal on how we will respond to the Independent Inquiry report and to approve our engagement process on the governance structure.

This item has been deferred to February’s Executive meeting.  The Chair of the Independent Flood Inquiry has advised the publication of the report will be slightly delayed. This is to allow key relevant Agencies to check the report for factual accuracy before it is formally published.

Resolved:     That the Executive agree:

(i)           That the Inquiry has achieved the aims of the Terms of Reference as laid down in Annex 1 of this report.

(ii)          That City of York Council accepts the output of the report as set out in the recommendations detailed in Annex 2 of this report.

(iii)        That City of York Council will continue to deliver a range of actions following flood debrief sessions, recommendations from the inquiry have been mapped across to these as detailed in Annex 3 of this report. Further work will be carried out to identify wider actions that may be needed to deliver all agreed recommendations.

(iv)        To allocate one off funding to assess and deliver the agreed recommendations from the inquiry report.

(v)         That City of York Council will continue to commit to close working with the Environment Agency and other partners to deliver the Five Year Plan and the emerging catchment wide solutions work. Annex 4 details the recommended approach to deliver the localised defence improvement work and further work will be brought in a later report to detail the approach to progress catchment wide solutions. It is recommended that the Flood Risk and Asset Manager acts as the council Senior User and the Executive Member for the Environment sits on the Executive Steering Group for this project

Reason:        To formally accept the findings of the City of York Council commissioned York Flood Inquiry and identify the approach to develop agreed recommendations from the report. To approve the governance approach for the delivery of the Environment Agency led flood risk management investment programmes.