Agenda item

Motion 1

 

Leader, Council Members, in my capacity as Local Ward Member for Lea I have been in correspondence with  Severn Trent, in light of recent news about their profits and commitment to investing billions of pounds to support its networks..

 

In 2017, Lea Parish Council, highlighted issues in the area to Severn Trent and this Local Planning Authority has applied conditions to planning applications in light of the Pick Everard Report (DE-1709-989 Nov 2017) which was commissioned by Severen Trent.

 

That report defined and quantified a specific deficiency in the system, and further indicated  that an upgrade was required before any additional load was  to be added to the network.

 

Residents have experienced firsthand the lack of upgrade, when their homes and gardens have been flooded year after year. Now as we head into the autumn/winter months, they are rightly concerned it will happen again. Residents of West Lindsey deserve a better service from Severn Trent.

 

This report was commissioned in 2017. I believe, Severn Trent has failed  the residents of West Lindsey, as well as the environment All this time by not upgrading a system which they have identified as having a specific deficiency, and in my opinion knowingly.

 

In recent weeks, I have been able to ascertain from Severn Trent that they will do some temporary work by the end of the financial year (March 2024) but they have not given a timeframe for when they will upgrade or do the necessary works to the pumping station to allow for extra capacity.

 

Whilst a temporary measure is all very well it does not solve the issue and residents should not have to wait  another 6 years until its properly resolved. Surely we have a duty as the District Authority to ensure these much needed (by evidence of report by Severn Trent) improvements are made to systems which supply services to our residents .

 

We need answers and the residents need to know how long will it take to rectify this problem and who is going to bring forward a timely solution?

 

Ive sought assistance from  OFWAT, the Environment Agency and Sir Edward as Local MP none of whom have provided assistance to resolve this

 

I therefore move that Members support me in requesting the Leader, in his formal capacity, on behalf of West Lindsey District Council, urgently writes to Severn Trent Water Agency requesting answers as to when a more permanent solution will be in place,  and the needs of local residents met. 

 

I so move

Councillor Emma Bailiey

District Councillor for Lea Ward – Lea, Knaith Upton & Kexby.

 

 

Motion 2

 

Members, Climate Change has brought about not only record levels of high rainfall but also an increase in the frequency of high intensity rainfall episodes.    The result has been an increase in surface runoff, groundwater, pluvial and fluvial flooding – causing serious problems for effected householders, road/rail users, farmers etc. throughout the district, county and country.  All predictions, and indications, are that the trends will continue increasing the risk of serious flooding problems – meaning that ever-increasing numbers of people and businesses will suffer social, health, wellbeing and economic issues from water flooding incidents.

 

In West Lindsey agencies, voluntary/community and council groups all worked on the flooding incidents and did their very best to keep damage to a minimum and keep our communities safe.   It is important that we pay tribute and thank these groups for their sterling work.  However, as Storm Babet on August 20^th indicates all these positive efforts were hampered by a lack of resources and co-ordinated working between the agencies.  It is essential that this is addressed if the consequences of weather-related incidents are to be reduced in the future.

  

It is also important that resilient measures are planned and delivered to cope with the ever-increasing quantities of water from higher rainfall levels and thereby prevent the flooding from occurring in the first place.  As several different agencies are responsible for the flood water – Anglian Water, Environmental Agency, Lincolnshire Highways, Lincolnshire County Council Flood Management, District Councils, Internal Drainage Boards and Landowners, under Riparian Responsibilities it is essential that they all work together on this task and that they are properly and adequately funded to do the job.

 

This Council asks the Chief Executive, Chairman and Leader of The Council to write to the Chief Executive, Leader of Lincolnshire County Council, Chairman of Lincolnshire County Council’s Flood and Water Management Scrutiny Group and DEFRA endorsing the decision* (attached)  by LCC at their December 1^st 2023 Meeting to set up an enhanced water management partnership to strengthen the County’s flood resilience, adaptions and management of the water management system and also to lobby for extra funding from Central Government to ensure this partnership and member agencies have sufficient resources to carry out this essential mitigating work.

 

I so move.

Councillor Stephen Bunney on behalf of the West Lindsey Flood Working Group.

 

 

The Chairman advised the meeting that two Motions had been submitted pursuant to Council Procedure Rule No. 10 and these were set out on the agenda.

 

Noting the resolution Members had passed at the outset of the meeting, to vary the order of the agenda, taking Motion two prior to Motion one, the Chairman read aloud his motion on behalf of the Flood Working Group as follows: -

 

“Members, Climate Change has brought about not only record levels of high rainfall but also an increase in the frequency of high intensity rainfall episodes. The result has been an increase in surface runoff, groundwater, pluvial and fluvial flooding – causing serious problems for affected householders, road/rail users, farmers etc. throughout the district, county and country. All predictions, and indications, are that the trends will continue increasing the risk of serious flooding problems – meaning that ever-increasing numbers of people and businesses will suffer social, health, wellbeing and economic issues from water flooding incidents.

 

In West Lindsey agencies, voluntary/community and council groups all worked on the flooding incidents and did their very best to keep damage to a minimum and keep our communities safe. It is important that we pay tribute and thank these groups for their sterling work. However, as Storm Babet on August 20th indicates all these positive efforts were hampered by a lack of resources and co-ordinated working between the agencies. It is essential that this is addressed if the consequences of weather-related incidents are to be reduced in the future.

 

It is also important that resilient measures are planned and delivered to cope with the ever-increasing quantities of water from higher rainfall levels and thereby prevent the flooding from occurring in the first place. As several different agencies are responsible for the flood water – Anglian Water, Environmental Agency, Lincolnshire Highways, Lincolnshire County Council Flood Management, District Councils, Internal Drainage Boards and Landowners, under Riparian Responsibilities it is essential that they all work together on this task and that they are properly and adequately funded to do the job.

 

This Council asks the Chief Executive, Chairman and Leader of The Council to write to the Chief Executive, Leader of Lincolnshire County Council, Chairman of Lincolnshire County Council’s Flood and Water Management Scrutiny Group and DEFRA endorsing the decision* (attached to the agenda) by LCC at their December 1st 2023 Meeting to set up an enhanced water management partnership to strengthen the County’s flood resilience, adaptions and management of the water management system and also to lobby for extra funding from Central Government to ensure this partnership and member agencies have sufficient resources to carry out this essential mitigating work.

 

I so move”.

 

With the motion duly seconded, debate ensued.  Members spoke at length of concerns in their local wards, recent experiences and the need to look at much wider areas and tributaries which were contributing to the flooding of the District.

 

The issue of riparian ownership was raised.  This was an area that was difficult to enforce, sometimes residents legitimately did not understand their responsibilities.  The filling in of ditches and dykes was often historic.  There were also sometimes issues with some riparian responsibility holders not having either the physical or financial capability, sometimes both, to deal with remedial and maintenance work.  This was an area Members felt needed a greater understanding and a way of working together established. Especially given how these culverts dykes and streams were intended to alleviate water and were now always able to for reasons outlined to the meeting.

 

A Members who served on the County Council’s Flood Management group undertook to refer the matters raised back to the Group, but acknowledged riparian ownership and the matters raised were not clear cut always.

 

Some Members considered inadequate funding, for such agencies as the Environment Agency and all those agencies concerned with flooding, played a part.  The Government Policy of not dredging and maintaining rivers, particularly downstream of where flooding or flooding events have occurred was questioned.  This was a practice that routinely used to be seen and was now absent. It was suggested it maybe needed to be re-introduced.   Maintenance was considered essential. 

 

A point of information was raised, noting the  directive with regard to dredging was more likely a European directive, as opposed to Government.

 

Internal drainage boards were praised for the work they undertook on the water courses for which they had responsibility.  Other agencies were not always as easy to contact and less willing to provide assistance. Some Members spoke of robust discussion had with such agencies and their unwillingness to commit to dates for remedial works needed.

 

Members thanked Officers at the District Council for their work on flooding, with tributes to Ady Selby for his work in facilitating the establishment of a flood and drainage working group within the District Council, a forum through which Members could raise resident issues for escalation, in the absence of a response from another agency. Members were of the belief this was an invaluable forum and was really helping residents and communities.   Thanks, were also given to those Officers who had been on the ground during the flooding.   The support West Lindsey had shown its residents was to be applauded.

 

It was suggested that greater support should be sought from the MP and another key agency to engage with was Severn Trent, important in the top north-west corner of West Lindsey.

 

Further debate ensued and it was suggested there should policies in place to recompense farmers whose land served to protect homes.

 

Members also spoke of the impact flooding was having on the sewage systems, the health and safety issues this raised and the need to lobby such companies for upgrades to systems.   On being put to the vote it was:

 

RESOLVED that the Chief Executive, Chairman and Leader of The Council write to the Chief Executive, Leader of Lincolnshire County Council, Chairman of Lincolnshire County Council’s Flood and Water Management Scrutiny Group and DEFRA, endorsing the decision by LCC at their December 1st 2023 Meeting, to set up an enhanced water management partnership to strengthen the County’s flood resilience, adaptions and management of the water management system; and also to lobby for extra funding from Central Government to ensure the partnership and member agencies have sufficient resources to carry out this essential mitigating work.

 

 

Councillor Bailey was invited to put her Motion to the meeting as follows:-

 

Leader, Council Members, in my capacity as Local Ward Member for Lea I have been in correspondence with Severn Trent, in light of recent news about their profits and commitment to investing billions of pounds to support its networks..

 

In 2017, Lea Parish Council, highlighted issues in the area to Severn Trent and this Local Planning Authority has applied conditions to planning applications in light of the Pick Everard Report (DE-1709-989 Nov 2017) which was commissioned by Severn Trent.

 

That report defined and quantified a specific deficiency in the system, and further indicated that an upgrade was required before any additional load was to be added to the network.

 

Residents have experienced firsthand the lack of upgrade, when their homes and gardens have been flooded year after year. Now as we head into the autumn/winter months, they are rightly concerned it will happen again. Residents of West Lindsey deserve a better service from Severn Trent.

 

This report was commissioned in 2017. I believe, Severn Trent has failed the residents of West Lindsey, as well as the environment all this time by not upgrading a system which they have identified as having a specific deficiency, and in my opinion knowingly.

 

In recent weeks, I have been able to ascertain from Severn Trent that they will do some temporary work by the end of the financial year (March 2024) but they have not given a timeframe for when they will upgrade or do the necessary works to the pumping station to allow for extra capacity.

 

Whilst a temporary measure is all very well it does not solve the issue and residents should not have to wait another 6 years until its properly resolved. Surely we have a duty as the District Authority to ensure these much needed (by evidence of report by Severn Trent) improvements are made to systems which supply services to our residents.

 

We need answers and the residents need to know how long will it take to rectify this problem and who is going to bring forward a timely solution?

 

I’ve sought assistance from OFWAT, the Environment Agency and Sir Edward as Local MP none of whom have provided assistance to resolve this.

 

I therefore move that Members support me in requesting the Leader, in his formal capacity, on behalf of West Lindsey District Council, urgently writes to Severn Trent Water Agency requesting answers as to when a more permanent solution will be in place, and the needs of local residents met.

 

I so move.”

 

With the motion duly seconded, debate ensued.

 

A Member raised a number of concerns with the motion in its current format, and the language used, indicating she would be seeking amendments.

 

Her reasoning for which was outlined to the meeting in detail. Firstly, she had been unable to locate the Pick Everard report referenced, in the motion, and therefore questioned the accuracy of the reference, but also highlighted this was not the main concern, that being the tone and impliedness of the motion, which she did not feel all Members should be asked to support.   It was suggested it was not reflective of the partnership working needed.

 

Furthermore, it was suggested that the reference to Edward Leigh was wholly inaccurate and should be removed.  The Member seeking to amend the motion outlined correspondence and dates when Edward Leigh had addressed this matter and the action he had taken.  Acknowledging there had been a change in Minister during the period, it was suggested Edward Leigh MP had referred the matter to the highest level and continued to chase the matter up, and as such the motion was inaccurate, and required amending.

 

The Member indicated that whilst she wished to support the merit of the motion, she could not, given how in her view, it was inaccurate and misleading.

 

With the Chairman having sought clarity from the Member seeking to amend the Motion, the specific amendment to be moved was as follows: -

 

Paragraph 5 – removing the words “and in my opinion knowingly”

 

Paragraph 9 – removing the words “none of whom have provided assistance to resolve this”

 

The amendment was duly seconded. Along with a request for a recorded vote of the amendment, which again was duly seconded.

 

Members were invited to debate the amendment.   Ruling Group Members were supportive of the motion in its current format.  The motion as submitted stated Edward Leigh had not resolved the matter, and in some Members’ opinion he hadn’t resolved it, the motion didn’t say he hadn’t written back, as such they did not support the amendment.   There was lengthy political debate regarding the MP and his actions to date and what was intended by the motion.  In the absence of new points, the Chairman called for the amendment to be put to the vote, which would be a recorded vote, as the required number of requesters had been met.

 

Votes were cast as set out below:

 

For: - Councillors Barrett, Bierley, Bridgwood, Brockway, Brown, Duguid, Fleetwood, Lee, Palmer, Patterson, Pilgrim, and Smith (12)

 

Against: - Councillors Bailey, Bennett, Boles, Bunney, Carless, Clews, Dobbie, Hague, Howitt-Cowan, McGhee, Rodgers, Rollings, J Snee, M Snee, Swift, Velan, Westley, and Young (18)

 

Abstain: - Councillor Darcel (1)   

 

With a total of 12 votes for the amendment, 18 against, and one abstention the amendment was declared LOST.

 

With no further discussion, the substantive motion was put to the vote.

 

RESOLVED that Members request the Leader, in his formal capacity, on behalf of West Lindsey District Council, to urgently write to Severn Trent Water Agency requesting answers, as to when a more permanent solution will be in place, and the needs of local residents met.

 

Note:       Councillor Tom Smith requested that his vote against the above decision be recorded.