Emily Mellalieu, Development Manager Team Leader, will explain how flood risk management will work within the new authority.
Minutes:
An update was given to any changes that would be brought about by the creation of the NYC and the demise of Ryedale District Council. Members were reassured that, as the lead local authority since 2010, there would be little change to how flood risk management would operate.
Operational
The NYC would
continue to hold a statutory duty for all internal flooding
reporting and to follow the necessary investigative processes. In
most cases this would involve maintenance of the affected homes and
seeking to put in place improvements which would help to ensure the
problems would not reoccur.
However, sometimes, the flooding reported is larger in scale, affects more people, or is more complex in the solution needed. In those instances, the problem is put into a weighted scaling system to ensure that those areas that are deemed to be of the highest priority received action first. Some of the criteria factors for this involve:
· The ability for the area to receive funding.
· The implications of not treating the problem.
· The cost benefits analysis for the area.
Members were told of several areas which had been given this treatment over the years:
· Malton
· Kirkbymoorside
· Dales Villages
· South Craven
· Tadcaster
· Scarborough
Those areas that do not score highly on the weighed criteria were often supported through resilience measures. Support could also be found through the statutory commitment to be a consultee on the planning process, ensuring that those who seek planning permissions are supported through flood mitigation.
Communications
It was reflected
that, moving into the new authority, it would be important to make
sure that no gaps emerge. The knowledge that was provided by the
districts would continue to be sought after, both from the staff
that worked there, but seeking out new groups who could help to
supply this knowledge and experience.
One way this knowledge would be found is through bringing different groups together to be best support communities. At first, this would be done through creating a corporate resources group that would draw upon the experiences of a range of different departments.
Another way communications would be distributed is through newsletters. It is hoped that this would raise awareness to communities of the work being carried out, raise awareness to the areas that might not know that they are at risk of flooding, and to provide key information on who to contact when those risks present themselves.
Questions were asked on the following:
As well as communicating down to communities, how would the NYC seek to take views from residents within those communities?
There is an awareness of the need to actively seek out the local knowledge. It will be crucial that the authority engages with the grassroots community groups and organises groups to discover problems and opinions. It was said that the Ryedale District Council Working Party has been crucial as a source of those views for the Ryedale area but that there was now a new opportunity to create linkages within both the town councils, but also local groups. It is hoped that the NYC will have a perception of approachability, it will be important to bolster that, and then use that to help communities seek out their own levels of resilience.
Are there presently many action groups across the county?
It was shared that there are, but they are all different, with no standardised way of operating. Several of these are affiliated with Parish and Town Councils but there is no guarantee of that. In certain areas there are multiple action groups whilst in others the North Yorkshire Council will have to organise forums. How those groups are engaged will depend on the context of what is needed from them. The officer asked whether there might be a need for greater formalisation in the future, but this was not something that was presently being considered.
How will the newsletter be distributed?
The newsletter will be distributed through the Town Councils and, potentially, the Council community team.