Flooding Report Released

8.19.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 15th Jun 2010

Birmingham City Council has considered a Scrutiny Report on Flood Risk Management and Response in Birmingham. Councillor Robert Wright, who presented the report at the Council meeting on 15 June, said: "I know from personal experience how devastating a flood can be. We wanted to explore how the City Council could better work with partners to tackle flooding and the risk of floods."

The Scrutiny Review was set up to examine what role the City Council should have alongside our partners. It also considered the new responsibilities in light of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.

The report calls for the City Council to continue to take the lead in this important area by ensuring the correct priority is given to the new duties and responsibilities, backed by the right level of resource and expertise.

The recommendations also call for the Council to work with relevant community groups to encourage those at risk of flooding to familiarise themselves with local plans and adopt household plans. Flood Action Groups should be supported - these are the hard working community volunteers who work with the Council to prepare themselves and their neighbours for any flooding.

Birmingham has experienced several instances of heavy localised flooding in recent years, including areas such as Selly Park, Northfield and Witton.

Flooding causes major disruption to residents and businesses, and can have a devastating effect on people's lives, as sometimes families must leave their homes for long periods. The answer is rarely straightforward, either because engineering work in one place can have an impact elsewhere, or because the powers to "do something" are split between several agencies. The City Council, the Environment Agency and Severn Trent Water all have different responsibilities in relation to water management, and all three, alongside the Police and Fire Services get involved when flooding occurs.

A copy of the Flood Risk Management and Response Report can be downloaded from www.birmingham.gov.uk/scrutiny

Related Links:

Environment Agency - Flood Information.

Birmingham Resilience Team.