The Scrutiny Committee has commissioned a report to consider the Council’s current flood management including an overview of responsibilities and responses.

Cllr Susan Brown, Lead member for Emergency Planning, Cllr Nigel Chapman, Lead member for Flood Relief, Richard Adams, Community Safety Service Manager, James Barlow, Principal Flood Mitigation and Environmental Quality Team Leader, Kamil Lipowski, Emergency Planning Officer and Andy Brett,Senior Resilience Officer (Oxfordshire County Council) have been invited to present the report and answer questions.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and agree any recommendations.

Councillor Nigel Chapman, Lead member for Flood Relief, Councillor Anna Railton, Cabinet Member for Zero Carbon Oxford, Richard Adams, Community Safety Service Manager, James Barlow, Principal Flood Mitigation and Environmental Quality Team Leader, and Andy Brett, Senior Resilience Officer from Oxfordshire County Council, were present to answer questions on the report. 

The Chair noted the importance of the presentation considering the increasing severity of flooding in Oxford City and requirement to consider emergency planning.  

Councillor Railton introduced the topic and invited the Community Safety Service Manager to present.  

The Community Safety Service Manager provided an overview of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 which places legal duties on councils to assess the risks and impacts of all emergencies, including flooding. He explained the importance for Oxford City Council to have emergency plans and business continuity plans in place which ensure the public are warned and first responders are prepared but highlighted that Oxford County Council are a lead responder in flood events. The Committee heard of the extensive detail on the emergency response plans that were contained within the report. The Community Safety Service Manager also informed the Committee about the varying types of floods Oxford experience, issues with rising tide situations and flash floods, methods used to communicate plans within the council and residents, and the structure of the response hierarchy. Previous examples of floods in Oxford were used to demonstrate the information provided.  

The Chair thanked the Community Safety Service Manager for the detail of the presentation and invited the Committee to raise questions on other matters within the presentation.  

Councillor Rowley noted that ODS currently hold a small number of flood pumps and one flood barrier. Considering increasing flood risks, he queried whether there are plans to obtain further resources. The Community Safety Service Manager explained that pumps are held in collaboration with different agencies including the Environment Agency and therefore, more are available for deployment beyond that owned by ODS. The Committee were assured these can be accessed as required and in accordance with the severity of a flood. The Senior Resilience Officer added that pumps are only useful when there is a safe location to pump the water away to, which is often limited in built up areas. Additionally, the Principal Flood Mitigation and Environmental Quality Team Leader explained that interventions such as pumps and barriers are elements considered within the strategic plan. He also agreed that more barriers will be needed in the future. Councillor Chapman noted his experience in emergency response events and commented on his faith in the capabilities of Oxford’s flood response teams. The Chair echoed this sentiment based on the views of residents.  

The Chair queried whether there is a requirement for more budget to ensure that enough people are available to support responses to flooding events and what data is collected and used during the recovery and learning phase to ensure flooding plans are usefully adapted. Finally, the Chair noted that there is not a structure for volunteer coordination and queried whether this was needed and whether other Councils had this.  

Councillor Ottino noted that whilst Oxford County Council is responsible for investigations following flood events, many residents note little is being done to combat issues in regions of the city where repeat flooding occurs, such as Blackbird Leys. He therefore asked if it can be made more widely known who is responsible for issues with flood defence maintenance. The Chair linked this to the possibility of having a contact point regarding flood maintenance and suggested ward councillors.  

Councillor Chapman expressed concern about this and noted the importance of rules and hierarchy structures during emergency responses. He also assured the Committee that ODS is well equipped to respond to flood incidents and encouraged the Committee to value the systems that already exist. Councillor Chapman also expressed that it would be unhelpful for councillors to act as contact points and explained the confusion that bilateral conversations could cause. The Committee were referred to the Community Safety Service Manager if they had concerns on this. Councillor Ottino clarified that he made his query in relation to prevention work, not response work during an event. Councillor Chapman reiterated that river flooding often comes with warning times and that existing systems are well set up to handle this. 

The Chair thanked Councillor Chapman for his representations based on his experience in the field of emergency response.  

The Principal Flood Mitigation and Environmental Quality Team Leader responded to questions on data and explained that flood planning is dependent on residents reporting floods, which they often fail to do due to insurance related fears. The Committee learned that this produces gaps in data. In regard volunteering, the Principal Flood Mitigation and Environmental Quality Team Leader emphasised that flood events are dangerous and those involved must be trained sufficiently. The Committee were informed that Oxford County Council manages a flood warden programme with training which would be the best option for volunteering. Details of this are available within the council’s online flooding toolkit. Finally, the Principal Flood Mitigation and Environmental Quality Team Leader explained that Oxford County Council flood authority is responsible for planning flood investigations, but that Oxford City Council conduct them. Examples of ongoing investigations were provided including Campbell Road. 

The Chair thanked the Principal Flood Mitigation and Environmental Quality Team Leader for the information he provided on the warden programme and encouraged the Committee to communicate this with residents.  

In regards resourcing, the Principal Flood Mitigation and Environmental Quality Team Leader also noted that wider flood plans exist in collaboration with various agencies and contact details on these could be circulated.  

Councillor Railton responded to Councillor Ottino’s query regarding maintenance of local flood infrastructure such as ditches and gulleys. She explained that work is currently ongoing to designate responsibility and committed to checking on the progress of this. Councillor Railton also commented that an aspect of reality is necessary in recognising that floods cannot always be prevented. As such, residents need to help mitigate damage to their own homes and a leaflet with relevant information will be circulated soon. Sandbags were noted as an important consideration for residents to consider purchasing for floods events. Furthermore, in regards flood warning, the Committee heard of an example in South Oxford where a local network of streets cooperate to support each other during a flood event. Councillor Railton encouraged the replication of this across Oxford city. Finally, Councillor Chapman’s assertion of the importance of chains of command in emergency events was reiterated. 

Councillor Yeatman queried whether Flood Investigation reports currently being prepared will come to ward councillors, to which the Principal Flood Mitigation and Environmental Quality Team Leader clarified it would be published on the County Council website but offered to circulate it to members. Councillor Yeatman noted interest in this report regarding the Florence Park area specifically to ensure residents finally received answers. 

The Community Safety Service Manager explained that the council holds a reserve for emergency planning but that costs cannot always be predicted. The Committee learned that this would need topping up in the future as the increasing trend of floods requires this reserve to be accessed more regularly. Councillor Chapman assured the officers that requests for more money would be taken seriously and supported. The Chair queried whether it would be feasible to assess future funding requirements to which the Community Safety Service Manager agreed, commenting that this would aid in predicting when the reserve may need increasing. 

The Chair invited the Committee to consider recommendations. 

The Committee resolved to make the following recommendation(s) on the report to Cabinet:  

1)    That Cabinet ensures Members are informed whenever flood investigations occur within their areas; sharing findings promptly will enable Councillors to respond effectively to residents' concerns and advocate for necessary measures. 

2)    That Cabinet develops clear contact information for Members and distributes guidance leaflets to residents at risk of flooding, explaining proper reporting of flood incidents and actionable advice on mitigating flood risks, and support available for vulnerable residents. 

3)    That Cabinet commits to long-term flood resilience and preparedness in the context of the need for climate adaptation measures, by reviewing and reassessing the adequacy of emergency planning funding reserves, recognising the growing frequency and severity of flooding in Oxford. 

The Chair thanked all officers and the Cabinet members and invited the Committee to discuss recommendations.  

Councillor Chapman, Councillor Railton, the Community Safety Service Manager, the Principal Flood Mitigation and Environmental Quality Team Leader, and the Senior Resilience Officer from Oxfordshire County Council left the meeting.