Agenda item

Councillor Mike Stanton introduced the presentation and said that he was pleased to represent SSDC on the Somerset Rivers Authority.  He noted that parts of his Ward had been greatly affected by the flooding in 2013/14 and he introduced David Mitchell, SRA Senior Manager and Jonathan Hudston, SRA Communications Manager to provide an introduction and overview of the work of the Somerset Rivers Authority.

The SRA Senior Manager and SRA Communications Manager provided Members with a power point presentation on the work of the Authority.  They explained:-

·         The origins of the SRA in the flooding during the summer of 2012 and the winter of 2013/14 which cost £148m to the county.

·         The Local Authorities coming together to create the 20 year Flood Action Plan and the formation of the SRA as an action from that Plan in January 2015.

·         The Government permission to raise a 1.25% precept from the Somerset Local Authorities to fund the work of the Authority.

·         The partners who were the entity who delivered the partnership working.

·         The SRA remit to deliver extra activities to address flood issues and provide an extra level of protection above its partner organisations.

·         The SRA consisted of 4 officers who were supported by a Management Group of Officers from partner authorities.  They held 4 meeting per year which were open to the public and there was Joint Scrutiny Panel overlooking the work. 

·         The Flood Action Plan was broad ranging, covering rivers and strategic transport.  There was a balance between flooding a flood risk while protecting the environment.

·         Improvement works included 2 new river channels at Beer Wall which would benefit communities upstream like Langport, Muchelney and Thorney, and, dredging between Stathe and Burrowbridge.

·         Work with local farmers to slow water from reaching the levels through improved drainage, scrapes and measures taken in fields.

·         The de-silting of ponds at Welham Brook, Lufton would reduce water flow by ¼ downstream.

·         New guidance for developers was to be produced on sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS).

·         There was funding for extra gully emptying and jetting in high risk areas.

·         Looking ahead, 60% of the 20 year Flood Action Plan was complete and it was time to review the plan.  There would be consultation with partners on this.

·         It was intended for the SRA to become its own precepting body and although a recent Private Members Bill had failed, they were meeting with Government MP’s to discuss the way forward.

·         The SRA was an opportunity for the county to do extra towards flood alleviation through partnership working.

In response to questions from Members, the Senior Manager and Communications Manager advised:-

·         It was not possible to absolutely guarantee flooding in an area would never occur again but the likelihood and frequency had been reduced.

·         The SRA had no formal role as a consultee in development schemes but it offered a SUDS inspection service.  Approximately 2/3 of existing SUDS were satisfactory.

·         Landowners could bid for funding for ditch clearance but because of riparian ownership issues and responsibilities, the SRA were reluctant to fund this.

·         The SUDS inspection service was free to partner organisations.

·         The Reimagine the Levels scheme was identifying sites to plant trees and hedge plants in places to improve the soil and slow the flow of water.

At the conclusion of the debate, the Chairman thanked the SRA Senior Manager and SRA Communications Manager for attending and providing an informative presentation and answering Members questions.

NOTED.