Agenda item

Purpose of the report: Policy Development

 

A review of Objective 5 in Surrey County Council’s refreshed Flood Risk Management Strategy and how Community Resilience will help and impact on communities at risk in Surrey.

 

Witnesses:

 

Tom Pooley, Flood Risk and Network Resilience Specialist

Tor Peebles, Flood Risk Management Strategy and Partnerships Team Leader

James Painter, Community Partnerships Manager

Tabitha Whitcombe, Community Flood Resilience Project Officer, National Flood Forum

John Furey, Cabinet Member for Highways, Flooding and Transport

 

Declarations of interest:

 

None

 

Key points raised in the discussion:

 

1. Officers introduced the report by way of a presentation (attached as Annex B) and informed the Board that under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 the Council had a duty, in its capacity as the lead local flood authority, to maintain, monitor and develop and apply a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS).

 

2. It was noted that the strategy as a whole was previously reviewed by the Economic Prosperity, Environment and Highways Board on October 2016. However today the focus was on Objective 5 of the Strategy on Community Resilience.

 

3. Objective 5 of the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS) states that the residents of Surrey would be supported to improve community resilience. Local people would be empowered to reduce the risk of flooding on both an individual and community level.

 

4. It was noted that the Council was responsible for managing flood risk from ordinary watercourses; watercourses that do not form part of a main river. In addition, the Council’s duties include managing flood risk from groundwater and surface water, and highway drainage excluding those maintained by Highways England. However, it was noted that the council did not have a statutory duty to maintain these and funding in this area had reduced significantly to proactively sustain them.

 

5. It was explained that flood alleviation schemes were also a priority for the Council and were mainly funded with flood defence grants and aid funding by Central Government.

 

6.    The service highlighted that the authorities responsible for the work within the County included District and Borough Councils, the Environment Agency and water companies.

7.    The Board were informed that Objective 5 of the LFRMS was created to develop the relationship between the Risk Management Authorities and communities affected by flooding in order to establish successful engagement with a partnership approach.

8. Officers provided a definition for the term resilient community which was described by the Cabinet Office lead for community resilience, Max Brody as one where communities, businesses and individuals are empowered to harness local resources and expertise. This enables them to help themselves and their communities to prepare, respond and recover from disruptive challenges and to adapt to long term environmental changes.

 

9. It was explained that Surrey Prepared was a Surrey wide multi-agency partnership formed in response to winter floods in 2013/14, whose approach was community led and offered information, training and funding, with an aim for effective support to communities within Surrey to become more resilient through a coordinated multi-agency approach. This would involve sharing best practice, promoting joint working, developing key information and establishing mutual support networks for resilient communities.

 

10. It was reported that Surrey Prepared was made up of a wide membership including the Emergency Services, voluntary organisations, utility companies, the military and district and borough councils. Officers advised that information on funding was available through the Surrey Prepared webpage which was supported by utility companies and charities.

 

11. Power outages and severe winter weather were also identified as part of community resilience and officers explained that flooding was not the only element that was targeted for support by Surrey Prepared.

 

12. The Officer highlighted that there was a video of Magna Carta School, showing how children who had been impacted by the flooding events in 2013/14 and can make a difference in disaster planning and recovery.

 

13. Officers highlighted that the Surrey Prepared webpages were put together to ensure information was promoted and made accessible to residents. The content aimed to share information on the role of the emergency services, offers training and resources and allows residents to sign up to a priorities register. Officers highlighted that a Twitter account, @SurreyPrepared, was also set up, linked to the Surrey Prepared webpage to endorse the information.

 

14. The Community Partnerships Manager shared the Community Emergency Plan with the Board and Members of the Public, advising that key contacts were listed within it to ensure good coordination between the services, authorities and residents.
    
    
15. It was noted Surrey Prepared had: made available online and paper resources for residents; had conducted an online Community Capacity Survey, and accumulated over 350 Twitter followers.

 

16. Officers informed the Board of some of the positive events that had been organised, reporting that a resilience roadshow took place in Farnham on 19 January, where residents where given the opportunity to talk to a variety of agencies on topics relating to flooding and winter risks.

 

17. Furthermore a Riparian Landowners Evening took place in Cranleigh, for people who own property next to a river, stream or ditch, where they were offered guidance on how to reduce the risk of flooding to their homes, and given advice on their responsibilities as landowners. This event was attended by representatives of the County Council, Thames Water and the Environment Agency.

 

18. The Community Flood Resilience Project Officer introduced the work of the National Flood Forum (NFF), a specialist independent charity that supports and represented communities and individuals that have been affected or were at risk from flooding. 

 

19. Members were informed that the NFF did not receive any core funding from the Government and their main objective was to put communities and individuals at the centre of policy making and operational delivery on the ground

 

20. Members were advised that there were several ways they could support community resilience, signposting, encouraging and promoting flood action groups.

 

21. The Chairman informed the Board that a question had been submitted by a resident from the Jacobs Well Resident Association, and that a submission had been received from the Tilthams/Furze Lane Flood Forum. The Chairman then requested that written responses were prepared and provided to the issues raised after the meeting.

 

22. Members raised concerns regarding the lack of advance warnings, communication and flood wardens around the time of the floods in 2013/14. Officers explained that, at that time there key information was not being shared sufficiently between agencies and emergency services; however, since the previous flooding events, a shared database between the emergency services had been created.

 

23. Members noted that officers engaged with local committees regularly, seeking local perspective and current priorities. Officers also advised that a campaign on riparian awareness was in effect and discussions at local level where being delivered.

 

24. Officers were pleased to receive assurances from the Armed Forces Champion in working together going forward to promote links with the military in Surrey.

 

25. Officers acknowledged that planning was a big concern for residents. It was explained that the SCC as Lead Local Flood Authority review drainage proposals for major developments and can recommend refusal for insufficient surface water drainage capacity in planning applications. It was further explained that the Council’s position in this area was as a statutory consultee and therefore it does not have powers to enforce and the advice is used at the discretion of the planning authority

 

26. It was noted that planning officers attend Flood Action Group meetings and these were a platform for residents to raise direct and technical concerns. Officers informed the Board that a recent meeting in Tilthams Green resulted with the developer taking note and changing the design of the proposed drainage system.

 

27. The Chairman invited members of the public in attendance to raise any questions regarding community resilience with Members and Witnesses in attendance.

 

28. A member of public expressed that there was a lack of education and communication with residents in understanding the risks of flooding, and the steps homeowners could take to alleviate those risks. They also expressed the view that Surrey Prepared required better branding as there was no Surrey County Council logo. Officers explained that there was no corporate branding on the Surrey prepared webpage as it was a shared platform, supported by multiple agencies.

 

29. There was a discussion around engagement with utility companies and residents especially during floods. Officers informed the Board that Thames Water were actively seeking to improve their customer service and the effect had been noted in a number of areas.

 

30. Officers were questioned on the systems that were in place to ensure continuity for residents in Surrey. Officers assured that the delivery of the strategy would ensure continuity through the enduring objectives, which was also reliant on resilient groups and commitment from the authorities.

 

31. Members of the public suggested that it would be useful to have an organisational chart of key contacts in the event of an emergency during floods. Officers noted this suggestion and advised a list would be made available as part of Objective 3, which was projected to be drawn up by August 2017.

 

32. The Cabinet Member for Highways, Flooding and Transport expressed the view community resilience was community led, community driven and community sustained but supported by the Council and its partners.

 

Recommendations:    

 

•       The Board supports Community Resilience, the Surrey Flood Risk Management Strategy and notes the work of the Strategic Network Resilience Team.

 

•       The Board suggests clarity of the partnership organisations involved in the Surrey Prepared programme, and that this is reflected on public literature.

 

•       The Board suggests that as county-wide Community Resilience develops, that a database of contacts and organisations is available to Flood Forums, Flood Action Groups, Members and active individuals in times of flooding.

                                      

Actions:

 

• To circulate video link of Magna Carta School, resilience in action, to Members.

 

• For written responses to be prepared  and provided to Jacobs Well Resident Association and Tilthams/Furze Lane Flood Forum.