Council Debate on Flooding in the Vale

This evening the Vale of White Horse District Council had an extraordinary Council meeting to deal with the events surrounding the July flooding. A number of issues were discussed not least the Council's response to the recent flooding and how improvements could be made to emergency planning for the future. I certainly welcome the emergency plan's priority to put in place a robust communications strategy, because one of the main themes which emerged from the situation in Grove was the confusion of where people went for help. We need clear advice on this to pass on to residents.
Many councillors, including myself, shared experiences across the Vale, and many people suffered like ourselves and it was helpful to listen to this and from speakers who came to the meeting to address us.
We passed a cross-party motion to urgently review the Operational Flood Plan in light of the recent flooding. To bring a report to the October Executive. To consider funding for flood defences in its budget setting process. To call on responsible land owners, Oxfordshire County Council, Thames Water, Environment Agency and Network Rail to

• Carry out a major clearance of water weeds, to remove silt and remove blockages of culverts and bridges in selective areas in the Vale where urban flooding occurred
• Clear and repair any controlling outlets to the existing storage ponds where there are flooding problems
• Ensure that all sewerage pumping stations are regularly maintained in good order so as to avoid breakdown in critical flooding periods when there is a potential for overspill of sewage

So what a contrast to yesterday where at the County Council we were told that our motion on flooding was 'not urgent' and would not be discussed, yet the Vale Council were willing to give this important topic such priority that a special meeting was called to deal with it.

I look forward to reporting back on more action as it happens.