Agenda item

(To receive a report by David Hickman, Head of Environment, which reviews the timeline and course of events over the 23 and 24 December 2020 when heavy rainfall led to a number of flooding incidents in the south of Lincolnshire)

Consideration was given to a report which reviewed the timelines and course of events over the 23^rd and 24^th December 2020 when heavy rainfall led to a number of flooding incidents in the south of Lincolnshire.  The report also identified lessons learned from the events and informed improvements that had been and could be made between partners.

Whilst the event had not been large enough to trigger a standard multi-agency response, it did trigger a local response and was handled with the resources available within those circumstances.  This event highlighted a need to review how those events which went beyond the forecast were prepared for.  For this event it was reported that the forecast has indicated a much lower likelihood of significant impact than what was actually experienced.  Stronger arrangements to prepare in advance for these kinds of events had now been put in place and also to prepare the flood cell arrangements between partners within the structure of the Lincolnshire Resilience Forum.

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 sandbags, it was commented that once they had been used they became a problem for the environment and needed to be disposed of properly.  It was positive that other options were also being considered.

·         It was commented that there had been issues with a lot of water sitting on the ground and then running off, which had caused flash flooding events.  There had also been confusion around who would be providing sandbags during these flooding events. It was highlighted that the cost of sandbags and other options, such as gel bags, could start to add up for homeowners and it was queried whether the county council was able to provide a grant scheme for those properties that were likely to flood.  Members were advised that the question of affordability was a difficult one, and the benefit of sandbags was that they were cheap, however, once they had been exposed to flood water they were generally contaminated and would need to be disposed of by the Environment Agency in specialised landfill sites.  It was acknowledged that there were several issues which would need to be considered in the future, and the new arrangements should ensure that those properties likely to flood would be provided with sandbags.  There would also be work to determine how residents could support themselves to be more resilient.

·         It was noted that it was not clear whether the provision of sandbags would be a district or county council function.  It was noted that the County Council would be putting forward a policy on the provision of sandbags to the public and how the resource could be accessed.

·         It was noted that the response from officers was welcomed, however, members did challenge the way that the flooding incident was handled as the multi-agency response had not been triggered, and co-ordination during the event had been unclear.  It was also noted that there were some issues with "Fix my Street" and the gully clearing which was not taking place in a timely manner, and this issue had been highlighted to the Chairman of the Highways and Transport Scrutiny Committee.

·         It was commented that this type of flooding event was happening more frequently and without warning, and there was a need to be better prepared for them.

·         It was commented that the flood alleviation scheme for Horncastle had saved a lot of properties from flooding over recent years.  It was commented that it had been working at 25% capacity and it was queried whether it would be better to hold back more water and let it out over a longer, slower period.  The Environment Agency advised that the idea around the flood storage areas was to take the peak off the water as it went down stream, and the aim was to keep as much space in the flood storage areas as possible.  Therefore, water courses would be kept as close to their maximum capacity as possible downstream.

·         It was commented that in some situations home owners having water bags would not suffice, as in Bourne, during the December event, the fire and rescue service pumps were needed.  There was a need to help and inform residents with what they can do to protect themselves.

·         Members thanked all the staff who had worked tirelessly over Christmas in response to the flooding events.  There was also a need to learn from these events, and it was important that organisations worked together, and to adopt a precautionary principle as an approach.

·         It was queried whether the county council was adequately resourced for dealing with these types of events.  Members were advised that from an officer perspective, more resources were always needed.  It did seem like more of these events were occurring, and how much additional resource would be needed was a difficult question.  As part of developing the approach future resilience would be considering the logistics and deployment of resources to ensure that they can be moved to where they were needed.

·         It was commented that since December 2020, the Environment Agency, IDB's and other partners had been on a constant state of alert, and thanks were given for the work they had been doing to support the communities in Lincolnshire.

·         It was commented that it was useful to compare the last 3 – 4 years to a time 20-30 years ago, as these flooding events did seem to be occurring at an increased frequency, and stand out events seemed to be happening on an annual basis.  It was also observed that the volume of sediment which was coming through the drainage system also appeared to have increased.  It was noted that some of these issues were being examined through the work on the River Steeping with the Lindsey Marsh Drainage Board, Environment Agency and other partners and some of this learning could be applied more broadly.

·         Thanks were given to the drainage boards and other partners who had supported members and communities throughout these flooding events.

RESOLVED

            That the report be noted.