Agenda item

To receive a Motion on Flood Resilience Adaptation.

That the Chair of the Committee progress the recommendations above.

            The Chair proposed this motion and said that no recommendations would be made on this item.  This was for the Committee to undertake work to investigate future flooding issues that the County currently experienced and may face in the future because of climate change. 

            There was a range of flooding issues with some being the responsibility of local authorities, Natural Resources Wales, water and sewerage authorities and other agencies.  There was a mixture of responsibilities concerning the upkeep of drainage channels and culverts etc.  The situation was complex and it was not always the responsibility of the Council to prevent flooding as a lot of the infrastructure required was the responsibility of other agencies under Welsh Government (WG).  

The Council was able to look at the whole issue to identify where the failings and concerns were.  It was difficult to predict where surface water and flooding would occur, with some areas experiencing it on a regular basis and others unexpectedly.  This could be dealt with when it happened, or the Council could look at it to map out where the risks were and what action was needed to prevent flooding.  

Within the Council’s budget there was no room for massive infrastructure projects and if communities were going to be protected from flooding, then investment from WG and UK Government was required.  It was a complicated issue, and the motion was to set up an inquiry where the Committee would hear detailed evidence from Flintshire Officers, Natural Resources Wales and other interested parties.  The Committee could look at the issue in detail and make some representations based on the information received.  The Chair said the motion was to set up the inquiry and no substantive recommendations would be proposed.  He commended the Council for the work it had undertaken dealing with the recent flooding and long running issues at Sandycroft, Mancot and Pentre areas and referred to the difficulties encountered by Natural Resources Wales around funding.  This area had particular challenges and could be a good case study.

            This was seconded by Councillor Copple who felt flooding was getting worse and needed to be assessed and measures put in place for the longer term.

            Councillor Eastwood asked if this duplicated the work undertaken in CCBu7  “to continue to carry out flood investigation and the number of flooding incidents prevented Flood Risk Planning”.  She also asked what would happen if no response was received from Natural Resources Wales and Welsh Water in time.  She felt that she did not have sufficient skills to analyse an inquiry held by this Committee and would prefer an update from officers on what was already happening.

            The Chief Officer confirmed that a lot of information was already available and that this was focussing on the Sandycroft incident which was ongoing.   It was a complex issue involving a number of different partners.   He referred to the resources that would be required to support this motion and said that it was not possible to hold a public inquiry into flooding incidents in Flintshire.   Should an update and reflections on the Sandycroft incident be required, then this could be arranged for a future meeting of the Committee.  He said that gathering evidence from Natural Resources Wales and Welsh Water could be an issue as they were not duty bound to provide anything.  He that there were no resources within his team nor Democratic Services to facilitate an inquiry.

            Councillor Mansell provided details of issues in her ward with blocked drains when it rained.  It was agreed that the Chief Officer would liaise with Councillor Mansell outside of the meeting.

            The Cabinet Member said he supported the sentiments of the motion and sought clarification as to who was responsible for what when it came to flooding issues. In many wards there were antiquated systems for drainage and sewage and clarity was required when trying to establish who was responsible for these issues.   He understood that there were still issues with recruitment within the Flood Resilience team.   Although the focus had been on the area around Sandycroft he felt that lobbying WG for funding was required to deal with the infrastructure issues.

            Councillor Swash spoke in favour of the motion and agreed that using Sandycroft, Mancot and Pentre would be a good case study.  As local member for Hawarden and Mancot he said this area had been consistently affected with 30 minutes of heavy rainfall leading to severe flooding.   The Council had carried out a lot of work, but he was concerned that with the upcoming development in Hawarden that any issues needed to be dealt with in advance of that development.

            The Chair then moved to the vote which was unanimous.

Flintshire County Council Climate Change Committee resolved:

1.         That the inquiry be established by the Committee on the basis set out as outlined in the motion

2.         That provision is made for an oral evidence session, including a venue, in either April or May.

RESOLVED:

That the Chair of the Committee progress the recommendations above.