ANNEXE 1. Background Paper
Flood related roles of Parish Councils and Communities associated with Letton Lake Flood Plain.
There is a view that future flooding and the destructive impact of flooding on homes, businesses, families and livelyhoods can be reduced. There are actions residents, businesses and communities can take to help protect themselves and their communities. Parish Councils and local residents can play an important part in managing flood risk at the community level. Areas at risk should prepare community flood plans and residents can ensure that each household has its own flood plan.
Following threevery destructive 1/100year floods within a year two local flood hubs were formed, the Staunton on Wye and the Letton Flood group though neither was a constituted “steering group” of the local parish councils or affiliated to the National Flood Forum at Bewdley. The emphasis was on sharing information and identifying agencies to help cope with the destruction and trauma of such a level of flooding, seek out emergency and longer term accommodation and protection for vehicles. In addition they enabled a forum where despair, support and sharing was available through ‘Whats App’, local websites and meetings.
There has tended to be an expectation from residents that the Government, Department of the Environment, River Authorities, local councils would be the ones to undertake these tasks. The current governmental support is for “ Partnership funding”. Under the new partnership funding system flood alleviation schemes may proceed IF additional funds can be raised locally to supplement national funding. This means raising money locally, landowners, businesses, Neighbours and local charities, and applications to the National Flood Fund. The question as how best to set about this in this rural area has proves challenging.
Current Responsibilities:
Local Issues re partnership funding:-
In the flood plain area under the three parish councils Staunton on Wye, Kinnersley and Bredwardine there are a limited number of businesses who would be in a position to undertake a flood partnership. Most local businesses are agricultural and those farming in a flood plain have learned how to predict and protect their capital investments against flooding. Having said that there can be an issue over actions, or lack of actions on private land that can impinge on domestic dwellings, e.g. stream and ditch clearance. This cant stop flooding but can reduce the length of time flood lasts. Parish Councils have powers under Section 260 of the Public Health Act (1936) to undertake maintenance works on ponds, ditches and other open drainage.
County Council:
The plans on the Hereford council website are reactive to past floods and focus on improving individual areas risk of flooding but not a Flood defence plan. This may be because in times of melting snow, heavy rain in the Welsh hills many of the Hereford waterways are edged by traditional flood plains which remain a necessity.
There are two other factors that can contribute to the expanding of the Letton Lake.
The need to relieve the pressure of water in the Elan Resevoir which can feed into the Wye River, and the possible effect of seasonal spring tides in the Bristol Channel on the lower reaches of the Wye.
Parish Council:
The flood area covers a number of different parish councils, government organisations, local support groups and fearful householders. Parish Councils are expected to play an important role in managing flood risk at the community level by preparing Community Flood Plans. They can raise additional funding for local flood resilience and flood defence measures, as well as gathering information on flooding by reporting any flood incidents in their areas. This has significant impact on the local precepts which are currently low.
The difficulty in establishing any group in a poorly populated rural area is finding a large enough cohort to undertake the extent of the resonsibilities. Few parish councillors or charity trustees locally are there because they have been elected. Such positions are not fought over. Finding additional people for voluntary tasks is further hindered by the extensions to retirement age, and the fact that many workplace pensions have become more limited and Universal Credit is only meant to supplement employment means time is at a premium for many.
Current position
There are currently five local organisations that have involved themselves in the recent floods.
a. Kinnersley Group Parish Council which covers most of Letton and Norton Canon which have serious flood issues
b. Staunton on Wye Parish Council which covers part of Letton and surrounding hamlets on the flood plain.
c. Jarvis Eleemosynary Charitable Instituted Organisation,
d. The separate Stauntonand Letton flood support hubs.
Analysis:
When the River Wye and Letton Lake flood the houses flooded are within the confines of several parish council boundaries.
It therefore makes sense for parish councils to unite in the development of a local flood protection plan for Letton Lake.
The flood plan then needs management by a properly constituted group already with trustees whohave a relationship to the parish councils.
Concept Paper:
Are there ways in which the Jarvis Eleemosynary Charitable institutional organisation could be supportive with regard to future floods.
Reason for Suggestion:
Members of the Letton Flood Hub were asked on 16/09/21 to inform the trustees at the next meeting of Jarvis if there were ways that Jarvis could offer support to householders in the villages of Letton, Staunton-on Wye and Bredwardine on the likely occasion of future floods.
1. In the January 2021 flood Jarvis were able to donate generously to Households on their third flooding in 18months. This was very much appreciated and we would ask if donations to flooded householders were included in the future Jarvis CIO constitution.
2. There are substantial difficulties in setting up possible flood relief partnerships in the Letton Lake Flood plain, as recommended by the government. The Jarvis CIO already has the benefit that some of its trustees are appointed by the local councils so a link between them already exists.
3. Flooding will always be a spasmodic The current need in the three parishes, is an agency that is ongoing, has representatives from the three parishes, that could manage flood protection plans only for the Letton flood plain, possibly in partnership with National Flood Agencies.
There is an attached Annexe with some background information
This is a joint paper from the two local flood hubs who will present it to the local councils for their Jarvis representatives to consider.
dmm/9/21