Issue - meetings

This item has been placed on the agenda at the request of the Chair.

A representative of the Democratic Services Manager reported that this item had been placed on the agenda at the request of the Chair.

The Chair reported that following the flooding in Offerton over between 8 and 11 June 2016, an Offerton Ward Committee had been convened at which representatives of the Council, Environment Agency and United Utilities attended and gave an update to residents.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

This item has been placed on the agenda at the request of Ward Councillors.

Representatives of the Council, United Utilities and the Environment Agency have been invited to the meeting to discuss the recent flooding in Offerton.

The Chair reported that this item had been included on the agenda in light of the recent flooding that had occurred on the Bosden Farm Estate and Bean Leach Road between 8 and 11 June 2016. Representatives of Council, the Environment Agency and United Utilities were in attendance and the Chair invited them to provide a summary of their activities during this period.

United Utilities

Tony Griffith (Strategic Manager), accompanied by Samantha Ashall (Network Manager) and Craig Daniels (Network Engineer), explained that staff from United Utilises (UU) responded to an incidence of flooding on 8 June 2016, that was mostly confined to Shearwater Road and Fulmar Drive. This was due to the heavy and persistent rain experienced, which included 1 in 8 year rain event. Following this, UU investigated the sewer network and found no impediments and low levels of sediment within the network. UU also undertook cleansing operations.

A further incidence of flooding was reported and responded to on 11 June 2016 following more severe and persistent rain, which included a 1 in 160 year rain event. This water was discharged into a network and water course that was already at capacity.

UU were currently processing payments to affected residents to provide refunds on annual sewage charges and an additional discretionary payment as a good will gesture.

Further cleansing works were also being undertaken to provide additional levels of assurance of the robustness of the network.

Environment Agency

Peter Costello (Partnership and Strategic Overview Greater Manchester team leader) explained that the Environment Agency (EA) responded to the flooding incident on 11 June 2016 following heavy rain, during which 46ml of rain had fallen within a 2 hour period.

EA were aware of 134 properties that had been affected by flooding, and were working with partners to identify root causes and solutions. EA also had sent teams to inspect and clear water courses.

EA were also making arrangements to hold local engagement events with residents.

Sandrine Thomas (Flood Risk Officer) reported that EA had been undertaking assessments of the area and speaking to residents to better understand the pattern of flooding that would then help refine the flood modelling. This would then inform discussions about future flood defence and mitigation measures.

She also commented that climate change was creating more frequent flooding events due to increased frequency of severe rainfall events, and that although agencies would do what they could to address this, it would not be possible to remove all risk.

Paul Heaton (Field Maintenance Team Leader) explained the role of his team in ensuring that water courses were free of obstructions and to respond to any issues during periods of heavy rain. He also explained that EA had equipment in particular locations to monitor water flow and blockages.

Council

Michael Cullen (Borough Treasurer and Incident Commander from 13 June onward), accompanied by Sue Stevenson (Strategy and Growth Manager

Highways and Transportation) and Karl Astbury (AGMA Civil Contingencies and Resilience Unit) outlined the actions taken by the Council in response to the flooding. In particular, he referred to the following actions:-

·         150 sandbags had been deployed across the borough

·         6 skips delivered to affected areas on Tuesday 13 June, with over 19 tonnes of rubbish removed by 21 June 2016.

·         Establishment of a Flooding Helpline for residents and business affected.

·         Submission of an application for funding from the Greater Manchester Relief Fund to assist residents. Provisional approval had been given to provide £100 per internally flooded property.

·         As part of the Council’s statutory responsibilities, it had commissioned an independent Review from Jacobs to assess the causes and the response of partners to the flooding.

·         Damage to Council infrastructure (such as highways etc) was estimated at £800,000.

It was recognised that the out-of-hours capacity of the Council call-centre had not been sufficient to cope with the volume of calls and further consideration would need to be given to how  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5