The Environment and Sustainable Communities Overview and Scrutiny Committee of County Durham Council is scheduled to consider updates on flood risk management, financial outturns for the Neighbourhoods and Environment service area, and performance against the Council Plan. The meeting will also review the Environment Agency's and Northumbrian Water's flood risk management activities, alongside the council's own flood and coastal protection schemes.

Flood Risk Management in County Durham

A significant portion of the meeting is dedicated to discussing flood risk management across County Durham. This will involve receiving reports and presentations from various Flood Risk Management Authorities (FRMAs), including Durham County Council, the Environment Agency, and Northumbrian Water Limited.

Durham County Council, acting as the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, will present details of its current and future flood mitigation schemes. This includes work undertaken with partners, such as the South Stanley and Craghead Area project, which is part of the Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme and aims to develop new approaches to Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS). The council will also report on the SuDS in Schools Project, funded by the Department of Education, which will retrofit SuDS in seven schools across the county. Further details will be provided on the Northumbria Integrated Drainage Partnership (NIDP) studies, which examine flood risk across various catchment areas, and specific schemes such as those at Barnard Castle, Sedgefield, and Horden.

The Environment Agency will provide an update on its Flood and Coastal Defence (FCRM) investment in County Durham for 2025/26 and the upcoming 2026-2029 programme. This includes details of schemes to protect properties from flooding, with a focus on NIDP projects like the South Stanley (Avon Rd and Park Road) Flood Alleviation Schemes. The agency will also outline its community engagement and resilience work, including the role of Community Engagement Officers in raising awareness and supporting flood warden groups.

Northumbrian Water Group (NWG) will present its current position and future plans for flood mitigation. This includes their business plan for 2025-2030, which aims to increase investment in water and wastewater services and ensure resilience against extreme weather. NWG will also provide an update on their involvement in the NIDP, detailing approved outline business cases and ongoing studies in areas such as Sedgefield, South Stanley, and Ushaw Moor. The company will also report on its Sewer Flooding Capital Investment, including a project in Valley Gardens, Consett, and its Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs).

Financial Outturn for Neighbourhoods and Environment

The committee will receive a joint report from the Corporate Director of Resources and the Corporate Director of Neighbourhoods and Environment detailing the forecast outturn budget for the Neighbourhoods and Environment service area for the 2025/26 financial year, as of Quarter 3. The report highlights a forecast underspend of £4.152 million against a revised budget of £112.477 million for Neighbourhoods. It will also provide an analysis of the capital programme for both Neighbourhoods and Environment, and Culture, Sport & Tourism, detailing expenditure against revised budgets. The report will explain the reasons for any significant variances, including underspends in Environmental Services due to the use of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Grant and overspends in Highways maintenance.

Performance Management Report

A report on Quarter Three 2025/26 performance management will be presented, providing an update on progress towards the strategic ambitions and objectives set out in the Council Plan 2025-30. The report will focus on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) presented through dashboards, highlighting trends, direction of travel, benchmarking, and performance against targets. Key messages will be aligned to the council's five strategic ambitions, with specific updates on Supercharging Our Economy, Building Better Communities, and A Practical Environmental Stewardship. For Building Better Communities, the report notes that reports of fly-tipping remain low, environmental cleanliness is high, and the target for repairing highway defects was met. Under A Practical Environmental Stewardship, the report indicates that 97.3% of municipal waste was diverted from landfill, and only one monitoring site within the Durham City Air Quality Management Area remains above the government threshold. The report will also detail actions being taken to address areas of challenge.