Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Peter Beford and Helen Crawford. It was reported that under Regulation 13 of the Local Government Committee and Political Groups Regulation 1990, Councillor Tyrell replaced Councillor Gary Taylor, and Councillor Ian Carrington replaced Councillor Susan Nutman as Vice-Chairman for this meeting only.

No interests were declared at this point in proceedings.

RESOLVED

            That the minutes of the previous meeting held on 18 September 2023 be approved and signed by the Chairman as a correct record.

The Chairman announced that nine Committee Members attended site visits on 15 October to locations such as the Horncastle and Louth flood alleviation schemes, the Louth Flood Storage Area, the Saltfleet, Fulbeck, Trusthorpe and Boygift Pumping Stations and coastal defences across the east of Lincolnshire. He thanked all involved in the organisation of the trip on behalf of the Committee.

The Chairman had extended the invitation to the Committee meeting to all Members of the County Council to prove them with a forum to raise local issues caused by Storm Babet, and welcomed all who were in attendance.

Councillor C Davie, Executive Councillor for Economic Development, Environment and Planning, had submitted his announcements to the Chairman to be shared on his behalf in his absence. The following matters were noted:

·         The impact of Storm Babet in Lincolnshire was significant, and some catchments experienced over three times the average monthly rainfall.

·         29 Flood Warnings and 32 Flood Alerts had been put in place across the County, and Waddington rainfall gauging station had recorded the highest reading in 76 years during the storm.

·         The Witham to Chapel Hill area had witnessed 364% of the average rainfall for October.

·         663 properties were recorded as internally flooded as a result of Storm Babet.

·         The Flood and Water Team were analysing data and would investigate every instance of property flooding to determine its causes. This information formed part of the Section 19 (S19) Investigations that the Council undertook as part of its role as Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA).

·         482 properties were recorded with external flooding.

·         98 instances of highway flooding were recorded which led to 48 road closures.

·         Currently, there were 147 S19 investigations being commissioned.

·         Recently completed flood alleviation works in Cherry Willingham, Kirton, Long Bennington and Scothern had functioned well during Storm Babet and no reported instances of flooded property had been received at the locations where works were undertaken.

·         The Government had announced multiple support grants for those directly affected by the effects of the storm, including a Community Recovery Grant, Council Tax Discounts and Business Rates Relief, all of which were administered by District Councils. Additionally, eligible flood-hit property owners where properties were seriously damaged internally between 19 and 25 October, could apply for up to £5,000 to make homes and businesses more resilient to future flooding via the Property Flood Resilience Repair Grant Scheme. This would be administered by the County Council, and Members were directed to the Flood Risk Management pages on the website for further information.

It was agreed that the announcements from the Executive Councillor for Economic Development, Environment, and Planning be circulated to Members and attendees.

(To receive a report from Matthew Harrison, Flood and Water Manager, which provides an update to the Committee on the recent work of the Flood Risk team including information of the status of all current flood investigations being undertaken in the County and the impact of the recent Storm Babet across Lincolnshire)

Consideration was given to a report from Matthew Harrison, Flood and Water Manager and Morgan Wray, Area Flood Risk Manager – Environment Agency (EA), on the impact of Storm Babet in Lincolnshire.

The Flood and Water Manager informed that 663 properties were recorded as internally flooded as of Friday 24 November, which was three times as many than records from other significant storms. At the time of the meeting, Members were informed that 147 Section 19 investigations (S19s) had been commissioned and were reminded that these figures were likely to change. Additionally, the government had launched the Property Flood Resilience Repair Grant which enabled eligible flood-hit property owners to apply for up to £5,000 to make properties resilient to future flooding. The Grant would be administered by the Council and residents were encouraged to register their interests. It was noted the Grant would be available until March 2025.

As part of this item, the Area Flood Risk Manager – EA guided Members through a presentation on the impact of the storm. The Draft Flood Hydrology Report determined that up to six millimetres of rain had fallen in a 15-minute period in some locations, and the EA responded by imposing 32 flood alerts and 29 flood warnings. EA colleagues also had attended several tactical and strategic command group multi-agency meetings. Finally, the Area Flood Risk Manager provided a brief overview of the anticipated recovery process, such as asset and defence inspections and a review of Flood Warnings.

The Committee and guest Members were invited to highlight any issues in their divisions caused by Storm Babet; an extensive discussion ensued, and the following matters were highlighted:

Section 19 Investigations (S19s)

·         The Flood and Water Management Act 2010 granted supplemental powers to the Council and as the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA), it was mandated to conduct S19s; this legal obligation required an identification of the source of flooding, and the process assessed whether all partners had sufficiently performed their function.

·         Residents were consulted as part of the investigation, and it was highlighted that the Flood and Water Team valued local knowledge and experience; residents also received a copy of the final S19 report.

·         The County Council’s revenue budget commissioned S19s.

·         The flooding of the B1190 had not triggered a S19; the Flood and Water Manager agreed to assess this matter but highlighted that property flooding was the current focus of the Flood and Water Team.

·         ‘Near miss’ data informed S19s, and it was acknowledged that external flooding was also distressing for residents. There was no statutory duty for the Council to inspect ‘near misses’ yet they were still investigated by the Flood and Water Team.

Emergency Response

·         All attendees commended the efforts of the emergency services and their response to flooding.

·         The Executive Councillor for Fire & Rescue and Cultural Services extended an invitation to the Public Protection and Communities Scrutiny Committee at the discretion of the Chairman and the Chief Fire Officer.

·         Members were directed to the Lincolnshire Resilience Forum (LRF)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

(To receive a verbal update from Morgan Wray, Area Flood and Coastal Risk Manager, which updates the Committee on Environment Agency activities in Lincolnshire including progress on key capital schemes)

It was noted that Members felt the Environment Agency had sufficiently updated the Committee on their recent activities in Lincolnshire within Item 5.

RESOLVED

            That the information provided by the Environment Agency as part of Item 5 on their projects and key schemes be noted.

(To receive a verbal update from Jonathan Glerum, Regional Flood Risk Manager, on Anglian Water’s activities in Lincolnshire)

The Committee received a presentation from Lisa Bush – Head of Pollution Improvement Strategy – Anglian Water (AW) on Storm Overflows. This update was requested at the meeting of the Flood and Water Management Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 18 September 2023.

Members were informed that storm overflows were necessary and released diluted wastewater into rivers to prevent the sewers from overloading and backing up into properties. A 54% reduction in the duration of storm overflow spills had been observed, and AW anticipated £200 million of direct investment to facilitate further reductions.

AW recognised high public concern regarding storm overflows, and therefore had committed to 11 storm overflow improvement schemes; five of which were located in Lincolnshire.

There were 139 Storm Overflows in Lincolnshire, 54 of which spilled less than ten times per year. Between 2025-30, AW would invest over £28 million on improvements to storm overflows in Lincolnshire County Council.

During consideration of this item, the following matters were noted:

·         Members requested further information on glass coated storm tanks; it was clarified that they held sediment and were easily cleaned; they were designed to empty once weather stabilised. It was further noted that the contents did not remain in the tank long enough to ferment.

·         Members questioned how overflows were monitored and recorded. They were informed that AW recorded all overflows, and unexpected overflows counted as pollution. In these cases, AW were obliged to notify the EA.

·         It was questioned whether less pollution had occurred since monitoring overflows; it was clarified that a 54% reduction had been observed since monitoring, although it was accepted that this reduction was partially due to increased accuracy of records.

·         Members welcomed that overflows were monitored, however they noted more investment may be required to mitigate the impact of climate change.

·         Concern was raised that housing developments could exacerbate the complexity of draining issues and water ownership; the Flood Partnership Manager – AW informed the Committee that Zonal Charging was introduced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which required developers to pay funds to AW to fund improvements to drains.

·         Members emphasised the importance of partnership working between planning authorities, EA, AW and the Council.

RESOLVED

That the presentation from Anglian Water be noted.

(To receive a report and presentation from Brett Rycroft-Jones, Flood Resilience Programme Coordinator and Vicky Jones, Flood Resilience Programme Coordinator, which provides an update on the Greater Lincolnshire Groundwater Project)

The Committee considered a report and presentation from Brett Rycroft Jones, Flood Resilience Programme Coordinator, and Vicky Jones, Flood Resilience Programme Coordinator which provided an update on the workings of Project Groundwater in Greater Lincolnshire.

Members were guided through the presentation, and were informed that multiple projects were underway in Salting Allotments (Grimsby), Hillside Avenue (Lincoln), as well as a Salinisation project in partnership with the University of Lincoln.

A significant project in Bourne to locate Boreholes was also ongoing, and Wilkin Chapman Solicitors were beginning proceedings to create a legal document defining ownership and maintenance responsibilities of Boreholes.

During consideration of the report, the following matters were noted:

·         Many details regarding the origin and purpose of Boreholes were unknown; information held by the British Geological Society was limited, although it was established, they were predominantly used for water.

·         The lack of information on the ownership and conditions of Boreholes emphasised the importance of developing the legal document.

·         Members questioned the trend on salination problems, and were informed that the trend was becoming more noticeable to farmers; it was reported that retailers were requesting the same quantity of goods but farmers had to use more land to keep up with demand.

·         The Committee welcomed the work undertaken alongside the University of Lincoln on crop diversification, and the Flood Risk Coordinator informed Members that farmers in Holbeach and Clements were willing to trial the project.

·         Members highlighted that crop yields were also affected by soil quality and ought to be monitored.

RESOLVED

That the report and presentation be noted.

(To receive a report from Simon Evans, Health Scrutiny Officer, which invites the Committee to consider the Council’s resolution on 15 September 2023 that requested the issue of sewage discharge be referred to the Flood and Water Management Scrutiny Committee to determine the actions available to the Council)

RESOLVED

That this item be deferred until the meeting on 19 February 2024.

(To receive a report from Simon Evans, Health Scrutiny Officer, which enables the Committee to comment on the content of it’s work programme for the coming year)

Consideration was given to a report by Simon Evans, Health Scrutiny Officer, which enabled the Committee to comment on the content of its work programme for the coming year.

It was noted that the County Council Resolution on Sewage Discharges would be added to the agenda of the meeting on 19 February 2024.

RESOLVED

            That the Work Programme be approved subject to the above amendment.