Agenda and minutes

Venue: The Storehouse, North Parade, Skegness, PE25 1BY

Contact: Rachel Wilson  Democratic Services Officer

Items
No. Item

28.

Apologies for Absence/Replacement Members

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Mrs F Martin MBE (East Lindsey District Council).

 

It was noted that Councillor C Leyland was in attendance to represent East Lindsey District Council, however it was clarified that he was not a replacement member and therefore did not have voting rights, as he was an Executive Councillor.

29.

Declarations of Members' Interests

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest at this point in the meeting.

30.

Minutes of the previous meeting held on 25 November 2019 pdf icon PDF 251 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED

 

            That the minutes of the previous meeting be signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

31.

Announcements by the Chairman, Executive Councillors and Lead Officers

Minutes:

The Chairman advised that following the last meeting, he had written to Peter Simpson, Chief Executive Officer at Anglian Water Group to highlight the concerns of the Committee about the increasing number of incidents of sewage flooding events reported by local communities.  To support tackling this issue, he suggested the Committee would welcome an update from Anglian Water at a future meeting to explore the current issues, background and ongoing works being undertaken to minimise sewage flooding events within Lincolnshire.

 

The Chairman also reported that he had written to Executive Director Andy Gutherson following the last meeting, to emphasise the importance of communicating a clear message to the public and having one clear point of contact in the event of a flooding issue.

 

The Committee had highlighted concern as members of the public would often find it confusing identifying who was responsible for dealing with specific flooding incidents and the Chairman had sought confirmation that arrangements were in place to minimise the need for members of the public to call multiple agencies.  The Chairman confirmed that the Executive Director had replied and advised that the committee would receive a further update on this at a future meeting to review the working arrangements.

 

The Executive Councillor for Economy and Place wished to record his thanks to Norfolk County Council for the work that was carried out to produce the report into the investigation of the flooding in Wainfleet during June 2019.  It was noted that during that time the region had suffered unprecedented rainfall.  He reported that it was clear that government would have to have difficult discussions going forward about the management of water.  These conversations needed to take place at the highest level of government, as there would be big issues around how houses were built in the future.  There were a lot of small farmers who were worried about their livelihoods going forward, and there would be a need to look at how they could be supported as a community.

 

He advised that there were currently 140 Section 19 investigations underway by the County Council, which was putting pressure on resources. 

 

32.

To report on the outcome of the investigation into the flooding at Wainfleet in June 2019 in accordance with S.19 Flood & Water Management Act 2010 pdf icon PDF 351 KB

(To receive a report from Paul Brookes, County Flood Risk Manager, which provides the Committee with the opportunity to consider and comment on the outcomes and recommendations of the investigation into the flooding at Wainfleet in June 2019 in accordance with S.19 of the Flood & Water Management Act 2010)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report on the outcome of the investigation into the flooding at Wainfleet in June 2019 in accordance with S.19 Flood & Water Management Act 2010.

 

It was reported that following a prolonged period of heavy rainfall in June 2019 there was widespread flooding across Lincolnshire.  The eastern side of the county was particularly affected, especially Wainfleet (All Saints), Holbeach, Spalding and Great Steeping.  Most notably, a significant number of properties in Wainfleet were flooded from at least two sources, initially surface water compounded by a breach in the embanked Wainfleet Relief Channel.

 

Over the period 10 – 13 June 2019, around 62 properties were flooded in Wainfleet, Thorpe St. Peter and Thorpe Culvert, with further significant flooding elsewhere in East Lindsey district which fell outside the scope of the scrutiny committee report.

 

The consequences of the breach at Wainfleet were severe enough to trigger a multi-agency response in order that military aid could be called upon.  Lincolnshire County Council, as Lead Local Flood Authority, has a duty under S. 19 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 to investigate flooding.  The events at Wainfleet met the requirements to carry out a flood investigation.  Due to the increased pressure on resources as a result of the widespread flooding, Norfolk County Council was approached to carry out the flood investigation on behalf of Lincolnshire County Council.  The final report was attached at appendix A to the report.

 

The Committee was advised that the recommendations in the report were fairly clear and linked well with the works which were being explored on the ground through the Steeping Steering Group.

 

The Executive Councillor for Economy and Place advised that it was now for the Committee to review the report and recommendations and add anything further that the Committee felt was relevant.

 

The Chairman of the Steeping River Catchment Steering Group addressed the Committee and advised that he had been asked to Chair the steering group on behalf of the Flood and Water Partnership.  The group was looking at the whole catchment from source to sea, including improving the conveyance of water throughout the catchment and the resilience of the flood banks, particularly the relief channel, and ensuring that weed growth did not occur in the channel.  There was also a need to ensure that the flows of water coming into the River Steeping were appropriate for the banks.  The recommendations from the report would inform the work of the Partnership, for the Steeping Steering Group to implement on their behalf.

 

Representatives from the Environment Agency, Lindsey Marsh Drainage Board and Anglian Water were all in attendance and confirmed that they were committed to continuing to work with other flood risk partners and authorities.

Councillor Mrs W Bowkett, local member for Wainfleet, was in attendance, and informed the Committee than many of the members of the public attending this meeting had been flooded.  The Committee was informed that 60 families had been flooded, and every time it  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32.

33.

To report progress on the investigations made in the County under Section 19 of the Flood & Water Management Act 2010 (FWMA) pdf icon PDF 503 KB

(To receive a report by Paul Brookes, County Flood Risk Manager, which informs the Committee of the position of all current S.19 flood investigations in the County)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report which informs the Committee of the position of all current S.19 flood investigations in the County.  It was reported that the team was working through the 140 flood investigations listed in Appendix A to the report.  It was acknowledged that this work was resource intensive and it would take time.  It was important to be able to get on site as quickly as possible in order to start gathering evidence.

 

It was also noted that there had been recognition from the County Council that more needed to be done to address flooding issues, as additional money had been allocated in the budget.

 

The Committee was provided with the opportunity to ask questions to the officers present in relation to the information contained within the report and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·         It was highlighted that more people were experiencing water coming into their gardens, garages and outbuildings, but not entering their property.  The County Council was encouraged to use the report to ensure that external buildings were included, as there were so many near misses which should be included as a S.19 investigation, but currently did not meet the criteria.

·         One member commented that their village suffered from sewage flooding, and it was queried whether these incidents needed to be included as the water was flowing into a fresh water beck.

·         It was confirmed that there was an extra £2m of funding into the flood arena, £1m was for S19 investigations, and £1m for joint works.

·         It was queried whether the numbers of staff were being increased to accommodate the increased numbers of investigations.  Members were advised that the flood investigations were commissioned internally, and the team that they were commissioned through had taken on extra staff, and there was additional capacity through the use of the Professional Services contract.

·         It was queried whether there were trained professionals who were available to deal with the increase in the number of investigations.  Members were advised that they were sufficiently able to do the work that needed to be done under S.19.  There was access to relevant resource through the contract with WSP.  However, nationally there was a shortage of trained water engineers.

·         It could be seen from the graph included within the report that it had been an exceptional year in terms of the number of flood investigations undertaken.

·         A member commented that if it had been their property that had flooded they would be frustrated if they had to wait for a reason for the flooding due to a lack of resources.

·         It was queried whether, for surface water flooding that did not go into a property, there could be a list of these incidents.  This was especially important amongst villages.

·         It was noted that in Appendix A, the investigations were grouped according to date rather than by location.  There had been several incidents in Horncastle, but they were spread throughout the document.  It was queried whether it would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

34.

Environment Agency Update pdf icon PDF 920 KB

(To receive a report from the Environment Agency which updates the Committee on its activities, primarily in relation to the autumn flooding, response and recovery)

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report from the Environment Agency which updated the Committee on its activities, primarily in relation to the autumn flooding, response and recovery.

 

Lincolnshire had received 170% of its average rainfall in autumn 2019.  During this time, about 1% of the agricultural land in Lincolnshire flooded.  The Environment Agency had been working hard on recovery, and was processing more than 160 defects to assets, and 22 sites had been prioritised for completion during 2020.  The Committee were updated on the works undertaken at Barlings Eau and Timberland Delph.

 

In terms of the Boston Barrier, it was reported that the gate was delivered from The Netherlands in the autumn and had been tested with 400 tonnes of water against it.

 

Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions to the officers present in relation to the information contained within the report and some of the points made during discussion included the following:

·         It was commented that the work at Barlings had so far not been successful and it had taken several weeks to get equipment on site.  There were 3 - 4 pumps on the bank and some of those were not functioning and the electricity had also failed for the security cabins.

·         Compliments were paid to the way that contractors operated the Haven Bank scheme, and it was queried what progress had been made.  Members were advised that the piling work had been completed and the planned embankment work would start in April 2020 as soon as they were dry enough.  This would be weather dependant as the banks were saturated.  It was anticipated that the works would be completed by the end of the next financial year.

 

RESOLVED

 

            That the report be noted.

 

35.

Developing a Strategy for the sustainable future of the coast pdf icon PDF 329 KB

(To receive a report by David Hickman, Head of Environment, which outlines work to establish a partnership approach to securing the future of Lincolnshire's coastal areas)

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report which outlined the work to establish a partnership approach to securing the future of Lincolnshire's coastal areas.  This built on existing public and stakeholder aspirations.  It aimed to provide a framework to shape and support delivery of strategic objectives in a way that was most appropriate to the coastal context.

 

It was highlighted that the report outlined some of the key issues, specifically on the east coast, as the coastal morphology and processes were different from those in the Humber estuary and the Wash.  There was a need to consider what the aim was for what east coast would look like in the future.  The report outlined some of the elements under consideration.

 

Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions to the officers present in relation to the information contained within the report and some of the points raised during discussion included the following:

·         In relation to the Towns Deal, it was commented that this was a great opportunity and East Lindsey already had a Local Plan in place.  The challenge would be about how best to manage the area.  The focus would be on tourism which was very important to the area.  There was also a need for partnership working, as it was likely there would be a lot of interest in this.

·         It was commented that this was an opportunity for strong partnership working.  There would be a need to make a strong case to government on how the economy could grow and demonstrate that the Lincolnshire coast would have an important role in the economy of the country.

·         In terms of funding there was a need for a long term plan and it was queried whether local initiatives were needed.

·         It was suggested that money could be raised from people that came to enjoy the coast, which could be used to fund initiatives to prevent flooding on the coast.  It was suggested that a nominal amount of £1 per adult per week could make a big difference.  This was endorsed by other members of the Committee and it was highlighted that there was a need for government to take action which would empower local authorities to create their own solutions.

·         It was confirmed that Lincolnshire was involved in the 2021 coastal initiative, which was a national scheme.  It was commented that this included the Lincolnshire section of the English coastal path and linked to the North Sea Observatory.  It was thought that it would bring a lot more people to the coast.

·         The traditional model on the coast had been to build bigger defences, and it was queried what the intentions were for the future.  Members were advised that in terms of the Saltfleet to Gibraltar Point strategy, the council had been out to consultation and one of the options was to install rock groynes, an approach which had been approved, however this did not provide any additional funding.  The only funding was coming from two beach nourishment  ...  view the full minutes text for item 35.

36.

Flood and Water Management Scrutiny Committee Work Programme pdf icon PDF 250 KB

(To receive a report by Daniel Steel, Scrutiny Officer, which enables the Committee to consider and comment on the content of its work programme for the coming year to ensure that scrutiny activity is focused where it can be of greatest benefit)

Minutes:

Consideration was given to a report which provided the Committee with an opportunity to consider and comment on the content of its work programme for the coming year to ensure that scrutiny activity was focused where it could be of the greatest benefit.

 

During discussion of the work programme, the following items were highlighted for inclusion at future meetings:

·         Anglian Water would attend the next meeting in May 2020

·         Working with Highways

·         A review of the Wainfleet Action plan to come back to the Committee in six months' time

·         A report to be presented in relation to the near misses flooding events

·         The Environment Agency would bring a report back to a future meeting on the recovery work at Barlings Eau

 

RESOLVED

 

            That the additional items listed above be included within the Committee's work programme.

 

 

 

 
 
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