Agenda and minutes

To elect a chair of the Ward Committee for the period until the next Annual Council Meeting.

RESOLVED – That Councillor Oliver Johnstone be elected Chair of the Ward Committee for the period until the next Annual Council Meeting.

To approve as a correct record and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 22 January 2013.

The Minutes (copies of which had been circulated) of the meeting held on 22 January 2013 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

No declarations of interest were made.

There were no announcements made.

Members of the public are invited to put questions to the Chair of the Ward Committee on any matters within the powers and duties of the Ward Committee, subject to the exclusions set out in the Code of Practice (Questions must be submitted prior to the commencement of the meeting on the cards provided. These are available the meeting and at local libraries and information centres.  You can also submit via the Council’s website at www.stockport.gov.uk/publicquestions.

Members of the public were invited to put questions to the Chair on any matters within the powers and duties of the Area Committee, subject to the exclusions set out in the Code of Practice.

Two questions were submitted.

The first question asked whether the vehicle activated speed sign on Torkington Road could be altered to shorten the length of time the speed was visible for as two vehicles could pass it before it reset.

In response, the Chair undertook to discuss the matter with Traffic Services.

The second question highlighted difficulties in using the footways for those with prams or with limited mobility caused by overgrown hedges and cars parked on the footway on Farnworth Avenue.

Councillors responded by saying that in severe cases the Council could take action against residents with excessively overgrown hedge, but it was a police matter to enforce parked cars causing an obstruction. In some cases, parking cars partly on the footway ensured the road carriageway was passable by vehicles.

No petitions were submitted.

Representatives of the Council have been invited to attend the meeting to update the Ward Committee on actions taken following flooding in June 2016.

Sue Stevenson, Interim Head of Highways and Transportation, attended the meeting to provide an update on the response of the Council and its partners to the flooding that took place in June 2016.

On 11 June there was severe rainfall affecting the Hazel Grove area, in particular around the Torkington Park area. 45.7mm of rain fell in 2 hours, which was the equivalent of 2/3 of expected monthly rainfall. This volume of water had put severe pressure on the drainage network, and caused flooding to some properties in the area.

The Environment Agency, who have responsibility for maintaining water courses, held a series of drop-in session in Stockport in those areas affected by flooding to provide guidance on flood risk minimisation and advice on rectifying problems caused by flooding. Council officers also attended these events.

The Council was offering flood grants to those affected by internal flooding to their properties and further details were available on the Council’s website.

The Council had commissioned an independent review of the response to the flooding during the June period, and a report back was expected in September 2016.

The flooding had caused damage to Council infrastructure, and a programme of repairs was being prepared to prioritise those facilities that had been forced to close.

The following questions were asked/ comments raised:-

·         Had blocked culverts contributed to the flooding? In response it was sated that the Environment Agency monitored the refuse building up on the gates on culverts to ensure this was cleaned regularly. Given the volume of water passing into the water courses this would bring with it additional debris that would then restrict the flow through culverts.

·         Concerns were raised about the frequency of the cleaning of the culvert grids in Torkington Park, and about whether these had been done prior to the flooding taking place.

·         Concerns were raised about whether all residents affected by flooding had bene contacted by the Council. In response it was stated that the Council had contacted all those residents who had made contact with the Council, Environment Agency or United Utilities to report flooding. It was not possible for the Council to identify affected residents otherwise.

RESOLVED – That Sue Stevenson be thanked for her attendance and presentation.