The Environment and Waste Management Overview Scrutiny Committee undertook a wider scrutiny review into water management across the District following the devastating winter 2015 floods. The Water Management Scrutiny Review was endorsed by the Environment and Waste Management Overview Scrutiny Committee at their meeting on 4^th July 2017 where it was recommended to be considered by the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee in their meeting on the 26^th October 2017 where it was subsequently endorsed.

Following its adoption, The Water Management Scrutiny Review included twenty-six recommendations and it was resolved that a report would be made in the following twelve months which monitored progress against all the recommendations contained in the review. Within the October 2019 report it was again resolved by the Regeneration and Environment Overview Committee that an update report would be presented in a further twelve months.

The report of the Interim Strategic Director for Place (Document “I”) briefly outlines the progress made and the status of each of the twenty-six recommendations in the last twelve months.

Recommended –

That Bradford Council’s Regeneration and Environment Overview and

Scrutiny Committee receives a report back before the end of October 2021 which monitors progress against the recommendations contained within the Water Management Scrutiny Review.

(Edward Norfolk – 01274 433905)

Resolved –

That a further report monitoring progress against the recommendations contained within the Water Management Scrutiny Review be presented to the Committee before the end of October 2021.

ACTION:  Interim Strategic Director, Place

(Edward Norfolk – 01274 433905)

The Interim Strategic Director, Place submitted a report to update the Committee on the progress made to date against recommendations from a Water Management scrutiny review which was endorsed in 2017.  The District wide review has been undertaken following the major flood events which occurred in 2015 affecting over 1000 homes and businesses in the Bradford District and costing an estimated £34 million.

The progress on the twenty six recommendations has been reviewed yearly and in October 2019, it was again resolved to bring a further progress update report to this committee.

Following the presentation of the report, a question and answer session took place, details of which are as follows:

·         A Member asked about the Council’s commitment to maintain SUDS retention ponds and whether the cost would be met by council tax payers or by the people requiring the retention.  The same Member also highlighted the absence of Castle Fields or Old Main Street as projects in the Aire and Wharfe catchment scheme as detailed in recommendation 5. 

·      In response, it was advised that three SUDS ponds had been adopted and would be maintained throughout their lifetime with funding which had been secured to do so.  In relation to Flood risk management, all options were being considered for flood mitigation and the Council was working with the Environment Agency (EA) to this end.

·         The same Member asked about the timescales involved to deliver completed schemes or would it be a rolling project. 

·      In response, it was advised that an optimistic view on timescales would be 2 to 4 years and that the schemes were relatively expensive as the number of properties involved was small.  The possibility of flood resilience within communities was also being considered but it would be at least 4 years to deliver on ‘hard’ schemes such as walls etc.

·         One Member asked if the district was in a better position now than 5 years ago and if not, what should the Council be doing about it? 

·      In response, it was advised that the possible type of schemes was being looked at and what could be delivered.  Again, flood resilience by residents was being considered as more work could be done.  Natural Flood Management was being implemented which reduce flows but there had been some improvement in flood resilience.

·         A guest speaker who was present at the meeting was given the opportunity to address the Committee by the Chair and wished to raise awareness of flooding and the type of flooding that had occurred.  He also stated the desire to get residents to sign up to receive alerts from the EA.  Some funding had been secured for a year to raise community awareness but the lack of funding limited what could be done.  He also made a request for advice and guidance  as there were issues which still needed addressing.

Resolved –

That a further report monitoring progress against the recommendations contained within the Water Management Scrutiny Review be presented to the Committee before the end of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18