Agenda item

To receive the annual report on the progress against the Flood Risk Management Action Plan; and to recommend to the Executive Committee that the Flood Risk Management Group Terms of Reference be adopted with a review undertaken within the first 12 months of the term of the new Council and progress monitored by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on an annual basis. 

94.1           Attention was drawn to the report of the Head of Community Services, circulated at Pages No. 65-79, which provided an update on the progress of the Flood Risk Management Group action plan and reviewed the Terms of Reference for that group.  Members were asked to consider the progress that had been made and to recommend to the Executive Committee that the revised Terms of Reference and action plan be adopted; that a review of the Terms of Reference be carried out within the first 12 months of the term of the new Council; and that progress against the action plan continue to be monitored by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on an annual basis.

94.2           The Head of Community Services explained that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee currently received an annual update on the work of the Flood Risk Management Group and the progress made against its work plan.  It was noted that the action plan was a living document to which funding or partnership opportunities were added as and when they arose.  It included the routine maintenance carried out on watercourses on land owned by the Council.  The work plan at Appendix 1 reflected the report that had been presented at the Flood Risk Management Group meeting on 13 March 2017.  At that meeting, the Working Group had also considered the Terms of Reference and thought them still to be relevant and necessary, however, it was felt that it would be more appropriate to undertake a review as to whether there was an ongoing role for the group in line with the term of the Council as opposed to on an annual basis.  If this was agreed, the Overview and Scrutiny Committee would continue to monitor progress against the action plan on an annual basis.  The proposed amendments to the Terms of Reference were set out in Appendix 2 to the report.

94.3           With regard to the maintenance of Tewkesbury Borough Council-owned watercourses, a Member questioned why the charges had doubled when comparing the work completed in 2016/17 against that proposed for 2017/18.  The Flood Risk Management Engineer explained that two contractors had been procured to carry out the maintenance work over the next three years.  This would involve flail cutting of the banks twice yearly in June/July and October/January and de-silting where necessary on a three year programme; this was doubling the amount of work being undertaken and would mean that banks were cut more regularly. In addition, the 2016/17 costs did not account for reactionary work e.g. trees falling into watercourses.  Efficiencies had been made in terms of the total budget so it would actually cost less overall.  In terms of the grant applications, set out at Pages No. 76-77, a Member noted that the Brockworth scheme had been delayed due to landowner objections and she questioned whether this had been resolved.  The Flood Risk Management Engineer advised that the matter had not yet been concluded but progress was being made and there was light at the end of the tunnel.

94.4           It was

RESOLVED          1.   That the progress made against the Flood Risk Management Group Action Plan be NOTED.

2.   That it be RECOMMENDED TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE that:

a)   the revised Terms of Reference and Flood Risk                   Management Group Action Plan be adopted;

b)   a review of the Terms of Reference take place within          the first 12 months of the term of the new Council; and

c)   progress against the Flood Risk Management Group            Action Plan continue to be monitored by the Overview    and Scrutiny Committee on an annual basis.