The Economy, Infrastructure and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee met on Tuesday 7 January 2025 to discuss the Flood Risk Management Strategy and review the committee's work programme. The committee received an update on the Flood Risk Management Strategy Action Plan and supported the progress of the accompanying FAIR (Flood: Aware, Informed, Resilient) Project. They also approved changes to the committee's work programme for the upcoming months.

Flood Risk Management Strategy

The committee received an annual update on the Flood Risk Management Strategy, which was first published in February 2024. Staffordshire County Council, as a Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA), has responsibilities including overseeing local water sources, working with organisations like the Environment Agency (EA), investigating floods affecting more than five properties, and managing surface water flooding in planning applications.

Flood alleviation schemes are funded through various sources, primarily central government, with regional government and partnership working also contributing. The current six-year programme (2022-2027) has delivered four schemes, costing £1,940,000 and protecting 149 properties. The ambitious target for the remainder of this programme is 22 schemes, with £4,000,000 in funding, aiming to protect 682 properties. Looking beyond 2027, there are plans for nine further schemes, with £810,000 funding, to protect 407 properties.

The Flood: Aware, Informed, Resilient (FAIR) Project, funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the EA, focuses on innovation and community engagement. The project has a generic approach, which includes a comprehensive flood risk website (https://www.fairflood.org/), improved communication infrastructure, a forecasting and warning system, and the use of machine learning and AI. A targeted approach focuses on communities most at risk, involving community risk and vulnerability assessments, tailored community approaches, funding for small-scale interventions, and the development of community plans.

During the discussion, concerns were raised about the capacity of highways drainage systems, particularly in rural areas, due to increased traffic and vehicle size leading to faster ditch erosion. This was identified as a cross-remit issue between the Flood Risk and Highways teams, as current soakaways are not designed for the intensity of modern flooding. Measures to address this include enforcing ditch maintenance and innovating soakaways with landowner cooperation. The committee also discussed the overlap in responsibilities when properties face multiple types of flood risk and noted the increased partnership working driven by current funding models. The potential negative impact of automation on resident engagement and communication was acknowledged, with a need to balance technological solutions with human interaction. Members also requested a single document detailing localised flooding information. The timescales for Section 19 investigations under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 were discussed, with a target of 12 months for completion by SCC, though comprehensive reports may extend this. Factors influencing the triage process for these investigations include the number of properties flooded, the frequency of flooding, and overall risk. The role of utilities in updating sewerage infrastructure was also mentioned, with the upcoming Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 set to remove the automatic right to connect to a sewer network.

The committee resolved to receive the annual update to the Flood Risk Management Strategy Action Plan, support the progress of the FAIR Project, invite the Cabinet Member for Environment, Infrastructure and Climate Change to provide an update in a year's time, and requested the creation of a document detailing localised flooding information for members.

Work Programme

The committee noted the changes made to the work programme for 2024/25. Several items were rescheduled: the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Joint Economic Strategy and the Staffordshire Bus Strategy 6-month update were moved to 30 January 2025, and the Local Nature Recovery Strategy was moved to 27 February 2025. A briefing note on the Cultural Strategy will be received from the Cabinet Member for Communities and Culture.

Changes were also made to the meeting scheduled for Thursday 27 February 2025, with the time moved from 10:00–13:00 to 13:30–16:30, and the location changed from Burton Library to the Oak Room, County Buildings, Stafford. A site visit to Tamworth Library is scheduled for Friday 14 February 2025 at 10:00. Additionally, the meeting originally scheduled for Thursday 27 March 2025 at 10:00 will now take place on Tuesday 18 March 2025 at 13:30.

The committee resolved to approve the draft work programme 2024/25 with the noted changes.