Issue - meetings

This report details progress on the implementation of recommendations agreed in September 2004 in regard to flood prevention work and asks Members to decide whether they wish to receive future annual updates in September/October each year.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the current update report considered by the SMC be noted.

                        (ii)        That an annual update be requested in the first instance, during the late summer / early autumn period, to the Neighbourhood Services EMAP, with any significant cross-cutting issues to be referred to the Executive for attention as necessary.

REASON:      To ensure that the multi-departmental impact of flooding issues is monitored annually and addressed as appropriate.

Members considered a report which detailed progress on the implementation of recommendations agreed in September 2004 regarding flood prevention work.

This was the second annual progress report on the actions agreed by the Executive in response to the final report of the Flood Scrutiny Panel from August 2004.  Details of progress on each recommendation were set out in Annex A.  The report had previously been to the Scrutiny Management Committtee (SMC), who had noted that the Executive’s original request for an annual update to the relevant Executive Member was still outstanding.  In view of the new constitutional arrangements, Members were asked to consider whether they wished to continue receiving annual updates in the future or whether these should instead be the responsibility of the Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services, who now had delegated authority to consider reports relating to river flooding.

In response to the update, the Executive Member for Neighbourhood Services made a number of comments on the Scrutiny Panel’s recommendations.  In particular, he noted that:

• Regarding Recommendation 3, the Council had supported the Environment Agency Flood Awareness campaign in October 2006, with a website link enabling people to sign up for the free Floodline service.
• Regarding Recommendation 8, a watching brief on the maintenance of critical water courses would be required following the enmainment of these by the Environment Agency.
• Regarding Recommendation 9, the Executive Member would follow this up as the Council’s representative on the CAB Trustee Board.
• Regarding Recommendation 21, a review of the Scrutiny report would be appropriate if another event occurred requiring Silver Command to be convened.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the current update report considered by the SMC be noted.

                        (ii)        That an annual update be requested in the first instance, during the late summer / early autumn period, to the Neighbourhood Services EMAP, with any significant cross-cutting issues to be referred to the Executive for attention as necessary.

REASON:      To ensure that the multi-departmental impact of flooding issues is monitored annually and addressed as appropriate.