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item 3
Select Committee – Environment, Housing &
Transport and Safer & Stronger Communities
Date: 14 April 2010
Commission on Flood Risk Management – Final
Report
Report of the Select Committee – Environment, Housing & Transport and
Safer & Stronger Communities
Cabinet Portfolio/Lead Members: Cllr Alan Kerr, Deputy Leader and Cllr
Joanne Bell, Lead Member for Innovation and Safer and Stronger
Communities
Why has the Report come to Select Committee?
1. This is the final report of the Committee’s Commission on Flood Risk
Management in the Borough.
How is this linked with the Community Strategy aims and objectives?
2. Flood risk management supports the Local Area Agreement priority
themes of ‘building a sustainable environment with great housing and
transport links’ and ‘making communities safer and stronger’.
What are Members asked to do?
3. Members are asked to consider the report and its recommendations, with
a view to submitting it to Cabinet and other LSP partners.
How will Members views make a difference?
4. Members’ views are vital to ensure that the Commission makes
recommendations on the areas they feel are the most important
Performing Together
A3/1: Adapting to and Managing the Effects of Climate Change
Reference:
Contact Officer:
Paul Baldasera, Scrutiny Policy Officer, Ext 6002
scrutiny scrutiny
scrutiny scrutiny scrutiny scrutiny scrutiny
Scrutiny Commission on Flood Risk Management)
Introduction
5. In 2004 the Government launched the consultation document ‘Making
Space for Water’ with the purpose of establishing a new strategic vision for
flood and coastal erosion risk management.
6. The Government accepted that a change was required to reflect climate
change projections and that the existing legislation was outdated and in
urgent need of replacing. The aim was to manage risks by employing an
integrated portfolio of approaches that reflects both national and local
priorities.
7. The implementation of legislative provisions was given subsequent impetus
as a result of the 2007 floods.
8. The flooding experienced in summer 2007 affecting large areas of the UK,
most notably Yorkshire and Humber, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire,
represented the country’s largest peacetime emergency since World War II.
9. Sir Michael Pitt was asked by Ministers to conduct an independent review of
the flooding emergency that took place in June and July 2007 and
associated emergency response mechanisms. The Government asked that
the process should be both thorough and independent; a fair assessment of
what happened and what should be done differently.
10. Sir Michael Pitt launched his final report The Pitt Review: Lessons learned
from the 2007 floods on 25th June 2008. The Government accepted the
report and published its detailed response in December 2008.
11. The interim conclusions of the Review were published in a report in
December 2007, and views were sought through an extensive consultation
exercise lasting three months. Conferences were held in every region, with
well over 1,000 professionals from relevant fields attending to share their
views. Council Officers contributed to that consultation process.
12. The Final Report is positive where it can be, but demanding where change
is needed. The Report runs to some 462 pages, arranged in 8 Sections
comprising 31 Chapters. It makes 92 recommendations, many of which are
either directly or indirectly relevant to the Council in terms of its future role in
relation to flood risk management. The 92 recommendations are
summarised in Annex 1.
13. Two of the Final Report recommendations are of particular relevance for
consideration by the Select Committee at this stage:

Recommendation 90: All upper tier local authorities should establish
Oversight and Scrutiny Committees to review work by public sector
bodies and essential service providers in order to manage flood risk,
underpinned by a legal requirement to cooperate and share information.
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
Recommendation 91: Each Oversight and Scrutiny Committee should
prepare an annual summary of actions taken locally to manage flood risk
and implement this Review, and these reports should be public and
reviewed by Government Offices and the Environment Agency.
14. A key element of the Government response to the Pitt Review is the
publication of the Flood and Water Management Bill, which is intended to
update and streamline current laws under a single unifying Act that
addresses all sources of flooding, clarifies responsibilities and facilitates
effective flood risk management. The Bill is expected to receive Royal
Assent in the summer of 2010 and will establish a significant and leading
role for local authorities.
What are the Council’s Current Responsibilities?
15. Flood risk management is a complex area of work involving a wide range of
organisations and individuals, each with important contributions to make.
16. The Council has a leading role and a range of responsibilities that it must
fulfil. These can be summarised:

As a ‘Coast Operating Authority’ the Council is required to adopt and
implement a formal policy statement for Flood Defence Management
which outlines its objectives and how these objectives address Defra
guidance requirements (High Level Targets for Flood and Coastal
Defence Operating Authorities). It is also responsible for land drainage
and for flood defence activities in respect of the Borough’s ‘ordinary
watercourses’ ie all watercourses other than the River Tyne and River
Don.

As a ‘Lead Local Flood Authority’ the Council is now required, under
the Flood Risk Regulations 2009, to undertake a preliminary flood risk
assessment and where appropriate develop flood risk management
plans.

As ‘Local Planning Authority’ the Council is required to draw up a
strategic flood risk assessment and to take account of that in its Local
Development Framework, as well as taking into account flood risk when
determining individual planning applications.

As a ‘Category 1 Responder’ for the purposes of the Civil
Contingencies Act the Council is required to assess the risk of
emergencies, such as flooding occurring and to develop fit-for-purpose
plans to prevent, respond to, and recover from such emergencies.

As a ‘Highways Authority’ the Council has responsibilities for providing
and maintaining adequate and effective highways drainage
infrastructure.
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As a ‘Public Health Authority’ the Council has enforcement
responsibilities in respect of defective private drains and sewers,
cesspools, land drainage, ponds and ditches.

As a ‘landowner’ the Council is responsible for ensuring the adequate
drainage of its land and buildings.

As a ‘property-owner’ the Council is responsible for ensuring that its
property portfolio is reasonably resilient to flood water inundation.
What the Council have done to meet these responsibilities
17. In April 2005 Defra published a series of ‘High Level Targets for Flood and
Coastal Defence Operating Authorities’. The first target required each
operating authority to publish a policy statement setting out their plans for
delivering the Government’s policy aim and objectives in their area.
18. Such a policy statement was adopted by Borough Council at its meeting of
24 February 2006 and was subsequently restated when Council adopted the
updated Coastal Management Strategy in September 2007. That policy
statement was submitted to Defra and the Environment Agency.
19. Further emphasis was placed on local authority performance in relation to
flood and coastal risk management, through the introduction of National
Indicator 189. The aim of this indicator is to record the progress of local
authorities in delivering agreed actions to implement long term flood and
coastal erosion risk management plans. In the first year of the agreed 3
year action plan the Council was able to submit a return of 100% for delivery
of those actions.
20. A Strategic Flood Risk Assessment was commissioned in 2006 and has
been used to help inform our Local Development Framework, assist in
determining individual applications for planning consent and for resilience
planning purposes. The Strategic Flood Risk Assessment is currently being
updated to take account of flood risk from surface water, groundwater and
artificial drainage systems, as well as taking account of the predicted effects
of climate change, which were previously not considered. This will require
collaborative working with a range of partners including the Environment
Agency and Northumbrian Water Ltd.
21. In terms of resilience planning, all forms of flooding and other severe
weather events have been identified as key risks confronting the Borough.
To support the Council’s Emergency Response Plan, in 2005-06 a set of
Arrangements for Responding to Flooding Incidents was developed. These
were developed in collaboration with key partners, including Northumbrian
Water Ltd and the Environment Agency as well as with the emergency
services, PCT and WRVS. The arrangements have recently been further
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reviewed and updated in line with national guidance issued following the Pitt
Review.
22. The Council is represented on the Northumbria Local Resilience Forum
and the South Tyneside Local Responders Group, where flood
emergency response is considered in a multi-agency setting. The aim of the
Northumbria Local Resilience Forum is to ensure that the duties set out in
the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 are delivered within a multi-agency
environment. The local responder group looks at South Tyneside resilience
planning issues and develops local multi-agency plans and arrangements.
These multi-agency settings play a key role in enhancing flood response
planning in South Tyneside.
23. The Council participates in a wide range of regular multi-agency emergency
exercises that are coordinated through the Northumbria Local Resilience
Forum. The main multi-agency exercise in the annual calendar is known as
the Norland Exercise which aims to exercise responder organisations
emergency response and post-emergency recovery arrangements in
complex scenarios. The 2008 Norland scenario was based on a widespread flooding event.
24. To support our flood emergency arrangements, leaflets have been produced
which provide information for residents on how to protect their homes from
flooding and the action that needs to be taken in the event of flooding. The
Council’s website also has dedicated sections for flood response and
recovery.
25. A significant piece of work currently being developed is the Community
Resilience Strategy, which is concerned with ensuring that all sectors of
the community are better prepared to withstand disruptive events and
emergencies. An element of this will focus on the important role of public
bodies, utilities, businesses, voluntary agencies, landowners/landlords and
individuals in taking action to minimise the risk of emergencies such as
flooding occurring as well as ensuring preparedness should they occur.
26. In our Environment Strategy we have identified a number of relevant
priority actions under the objective of ‘Meeting the Challenge of Climate
Change’, including:

Developing a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan –
a key strand of that will focus on flood risk management and flood
prevention.

Ensuring that emergency response arrangements are fit-for-purpose
and capable of responding to the consequences of climate change – this
action extends not only to multi-agency response arrangements but also
to increasing the resilience of critical local infrastructure.
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
Reviewing and strengthening our Strategic Flood Risk Assessment
and developing Surface Water Management Plans for the Borough.

Developing a ‘Climate Change Toolkit’ and support mechanisms for
local businesses, schools and community groups – this will extend to
climate change impacts and the increased probability of extreme weather
conditions and flooding incidents.
27. A key area of operational flood prevention activity is concerned with the
provision and maintenance of highways drainage infrastructure, which is
a responsibility of the Sustainable Communities Service.
28. Surcharge from highways drains and gullies are commonly observed during
severe rainfall events and are often believed to be symptomatic of blocked
highways drains and silted-up gullies. It is in fact more often the case that
the highways drainage infrastructure is fully operational but that the public
sewers into which those drains discharge have insufficient capacity to
receive the volume of water being generated.
29. The highway drainage infrastructure is prone to damage by third party
organisations such as utility contractors and also blockage by tree roots.
Such damage is time consuming to identify and requires constant technical
input.
30. The Sustainable Communities Service operates in accordance with the
highways best value code of practice which recommends that all road gullies
should be emptied on an annual basis. In fact the current regime surpasses
this requirement with gullies emptied once every 9 months. Gullies in areas
known to be prone to flooding are emptied on a more frequent basis. 24
hour cover is in place for emergency highway flooding incidents with extra
resources available from external organisations if required. Culverts and
land drainage infrastructure are also inspected and cleaned to ensure
satisfactory operation.
31. The Environmental Health Residential Services Team is responsible for
investigating and resolving problems associated with blocked and defective
drainage systems that do not form part of the public sewerage system.
They also have a legal responsibility to ensure that land drainage
infrastructure, ponds and ditches are functional and do not give rise to a
public nuisance. Where defects are identified that cause a public health
nuisance then enforcement mechanisms are applied to ensure that the
necessary works are undertaken to address the statutory nuisance.
32. In terms of it’s responsibilities as a land and property owner, the Council
maintains its property portfolio so as to take account of the requirements to
provide for adequate drainage. Further work is required, however, to ensure
that our buildings (including Council Housing) are, where appropriate, made
more resilient to flood events. This work is being taken forward by officers in
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Asset Management with support from Housing Strategy and Regulatory
Services.
Purpose of the Commission
33. The Commission gave Scrutiny Members the opportunity to examine how
the Council and a wide range of partner organisations are working together
to manage flood risk in the Borough and to establish if there are ways in
which we can improve our performance.
34. In order to investigate local flood risk management activities, Members
agreed the following terms of reference:
 Exploration of the Council’s roles, responsibilities and priorities in relation
to flood risk management.

Exploration of external partner organisations’ roles, responsibilities and
priorities in relation to flood risk management.

Examination of national policy drivers and how these need to be
translated to meet local circumstances.

Examination of flooding risks in the Borough, including recent past flood
events.

Exploration of existing delivery mechanisms, plans and practices and
how our priorities are determined.

Review the finance and insurance implications for the Council associated
with flood risk management.

Assessment of current performance and costs associated and how we
compare to other authorities.
Consultation
35. The Commission gathered evidence from a variety of sources, including
information provided by Officers and external partners, such as:

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Assistant Head of Housing Strategy and Regulatory Services
Head of Sustainable Communities
Environmental Health - Residential Services Manager
Area Planning Manager
Emergency Planning and Response Coordinator
South Tyneside Homes
Environment Agency Area Flood Risk Manager
Northumbrian Water Limited
Other Utility Companies
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
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Meteorological Office
Climate North East
Government Office for the North East
Royal Haskoning
Fire and Rescue Service
Northumbria Police
Individuals/organisations affected by local flood events
36. The Commission also included a trip to Hull to hear about their experience
of the floods of 2007 and the lessons responder organisations identified and
are learning from.
Timetable
37. The Commission commenced in September 2009 and concluded in
February 2010.
What we found out
38. Over a series of meetings, Members gathered evidence about the way the
Council and its partners were planning for and responding to flood events.
Details of these meetings are set out below.
Session 1 - Introduction and Site Visits (4 September 2009)
39. The Assistant Head of Housing Strategy and Regulatory Services delivered
an introductory presentation highlighting the purpose of the Commission and
provided an overview of the key issues and impacts of flooding issues.
40. A series of short film footage and still images were then screened to the
Commission, depicting examples from various locations in South Tyneside
in 2005 and 2007, including Tyne Dock, Crossgate, Reay Crescent and
River Don, as well as events further afield such as Boscastle in 2004,
Southern England and Yorkshire in 2007, Morpeth in 2008 and Durham in
2009.
41. Both the stills and film clips gave a clear indication of the devastation
suffered by residents and businesses and problems to the infrastructure,
power, water supplies and water treatment systems.
Key points raised were:

It is important to get a full understanding and recognition of the
emotional impact of flooding on people’s lives. South Tyneside
Council’s handling of flooding incidents was felt to be good and Officers
seemed to demonstrate compassion when dealing with residents.
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
There are regular partnership meetings with Northumbrian Water, on a
quarterly basis, and relationships were much improved and working
very well.

Partners need to have due regard to value for money when considering
schemes to alleviate the effects of flooding. In terms of the flood
alleviation schemes now in place at Newlands Court and Ullswater
Gardens, it was important that the correct engineering solution and was
funding identified before progressing with a scheme. It was stated that
the Newlands Court Flood Alleviation Scheme had originally been
costed at £900,000, but because of delays arising from prioritisation of
other schemes this was now standing at £2.6m.

It is essential to understand the severity and how quickly flooding can
make an impact.
42. This concluded the public part of the meeting and Members proceeded to a
site visit.
What we found out on the Site Visit
Ocean Road, South Shields
43. There had been problems with flooding in this area for a number of years,
affecting homes and businesses.
Littlehaven Car Park
44. The sea wall was frequently over-topped by the sea leading to flooding of
the car park. The sea wall is located on an incorrect alignment and as such
was subject to significant wave energy which had resulted in its poor
condition. The Council had secured funding from Defra and had appointed
consultants to identify an appropriate solution. This work was due to be
concluded within the next few months and would enable a fully costed
detailed design and funding bid to be progressed.
45. There was also a strategy study being undertaken into how the sand dunes
are managed. The pressure of the sea moves the dunes backwards and
recreational pressures cause the depletion of the dune system. The
continued erosion of the dunes will cause a decrease in the natural flood
defence of the dunes if further management practices are not applied.
Newlands Court
46. The Commission took the opportunity of meeting with a couple who had
suffered several floods, in order to hear a first hand account of how flooding
had impacted on their lives.
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47. The couple explained the number of incidents experienced since 2002 and
outlined the various problems encountered:

Moving out for 6 months during one of the flood episodes.

Recurrence of incident, moving out for 2 years.

On a separate flood incident, living only upstairs in their property.

Involvement of many Council Officers and agency officials.

The various methods of alleviation tried, failing and re-visited. With
each situation the treatment improved, until the final agreement of the
installation of the flood alleviation scheme.

The emotional impact on their health and personal lives.

Handling of the situation by the various agencies, some more sensitive
to and understanding of the personal side of the situation than others.

Experience of how the insurance company had handled claims. In this
particular case the insurance company had been excellent; other
neighbours had not been so fortunate. Insurance companies handling
of such cases also had an impact, particularly at such stressful times.

South Tyneside Homes and South Tyneside Council partnership had
worked very well together in dealing with the flooding problems.
Communications were excellent and minimised further possible issues.
The couple praised the standard of work from both organisations.

Some of the external agencies did not work at the same pace. In this
case the Gas Board had held matters up for some time. It was felt that
all partners needed to be onboard together in terms of communication
and resolution to problems.
Cleadon Lea, Cleadon
48. The Council and the Church Commissioners have joint responsibility for the
land to the north of the Cleadon Lea estate. The land drainage in this area
needs to be improved in order to minimise the risk of flooding to nearby
properties. The Council had recently commissioned a study by consultants
to identify appropriate measures that could be taken to alleviate flooding
issues in the area. Short-term solutions have been to re-lay the footpath by
the fields, implement a regular clearing of the ditch and ensure that the
drainage systems are flowing freely.
Lukes Lane Estate, Hebburn
49. Flood affected areas were visited. These were often sporadic floods. The
flooding in Eastbourne Parade came from the playing fields. Other areas
suffered from drainage problems, which were currently being addressed with
Neighbourhood Services. On route to the next site, Members passed the
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areas of Finchale Road, Solway Road and Arlington Road, noting the
problems at certain points associated with heavy sudden rainfall.
Thirlmere Court, Hebburn
50. Problems in this area had been addressed and a number of additional
gullies had been installed, however the capacity to take the flow was
insufficient.
Tyne Tunnel Approach Road
51. The road at the bottom of Church Bank had severe flooding problems. The
two side-entry gullies were prone to blocking with tin cans and rubbish due
to approximately 30% of the pipes having concreted sediment in them.
Tyne Dock
52. The problem in this area was the main sewer and silting up of pipes.
Northumbrian Water had invested a lot over the past few years investigating
the problems.
53. The tidal flow also had an impact on flooding in this area.
54. Due to time constraints the Ullswater Gardens site visit was omitted. The
Chairman agreed that information on this scheme be brought to the next
meeting.
Sessions 2 - Role and Responsibilities of the Council and Partner
/External Organisations (9 October 2009)
Ullswater Gardens
55. Members were shown DVD footage of the work undertaken by
Northumbrian Water to address problems in Ullswater Gardens.
56. There was confusion amongst residents about the type of flooding which
necessitated a solution involving extensive work, such as was shown in the
DVD, and flooding problems which could be resolved more easily.
57. The Assistant Head of Housing Strategy and Regulatory Services agreed
that there was often a lack of understanding about the different types of
problems associated with flooding, which might involve maintenance of
existing systems or require more comprehensive engineering solutions.
Introductory Presentation
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58. The Assistant Head of Housing Strategy and Regulatory Services provided
a brief outline of Integrated Emergency Management and how this guided
the activities of the Council and partners in the management of flood risk.
59. He then introduced a series of presentations from Officers within the Council
and South Tyneside Homes on the different roles in managing flood events.
60. Whilst South Tyneside had not been as affected by flooding as other parts of
the country over the past few years, it had, nevertheless, been necessary for
the Council to respond to flooding events. Members heard that lessons had
been identified from these experiences and flood response had improved in
light of these.
61. Northumbrian Water had spent a considerable amount of money cleaning
out and removing silt from sewage pipes, to resolve the problem of flooding
at Tyne Dock. There had been no recurrence of the problem in the past 18
months.
62. Business and residents flushing cement and building materials down the
drains had contributed to the problem but it was very difficult to prove who
had caused these problems unless incidents were witnessed. However,
Members felt that the planning process should include a requirement for all
businesses/home owners to clear away building materials and waste in an
appropriate manner.
63. Each of the following presentations included information on what the role
involved, what was done well and what could be improved:
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Evaluating Climate Changes
Strategic Flood Risk Assessment
Coastal Management
Area Planning and Spatial Planning
Highways Maintenance
Resilience Planning – Preparation
Resilience Planning – Flood Response and Recovery
South Tyneside Homes
Evaluating Climate Change
64. The Council had recently adopted its Climate Change Adaptation
Strategy, and, as with most other Councils, was at an early stage of the
process needing to identify key risks and vulnerabilities. This was reflected
in Strategy’s Action Plan, which would take the authority to 2012. The
strategy is based on three themes, those being managing flood risk,
managing extreme temperatures and managing water resources.
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65. Members discussed climate change and the reliability of evidence backing
up long-term projections. The Assistant Head of Housing Strategy and
Regulatory Services stated that there was a compelling body of evidence
that demonstrated the climate was changing, and that it was important to
acknowledge that a key consequence would be an increase in flooding
events.
66. This was an issue that was explored in more detail at a later meeting of the
Commission involving a representative from the Meteorological Office,
Climate North East and Royal Haskoning talking about the North East
Climate Change Strategy (see para 191)
Coastal Management
67. South Tyneside had been successful in receiving a significant amount of
funding towards coastal management, having been able to demonstrate to
the Environment Agency that projects were technically and economically
sound.
68. One example was the Trow Quarry scheme, completed in 2008, which had
benefited from £1.84 million grant aid funding and offered protection for that
coastal frontage for at least 50 years.
69. The consultant that had been appointed earlier in the year was progressing
with the option appraisal work for a realigned sea wall at Littlehaven.
70. In addition, the Council had been successful in putting a case before the
Environment Agency’s Project Appraisal Board, and had received just over
£200,000 to undertake an Options Appraisal and detailed design work. The
intention was next to take the case to the Environment Agency’s National
Review Group in summer 2010, to seek £2.1 million to undertake the
necessary work.
71. The most probable course of action would be to re-align the sea wall in
order that it can respond better to increased tidal surges.
72. It was suggested that people often forgot about the cost of such projects and
how well these were managed and maintained by Officers.
Area and Spatial Planning
73. In the event that a housing development proposal was in a flood zone, the
scheme had to pass the ‘exceptions test’ which is (a) a demonstration that
the development provided wider sustainability benefits to the community that
outweighed the flood risk and (b) the site should be previously developed
land; and (c) the development would be safe without increasing flood risk
elsewhere and, where possible, reduce flood risk overall.
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74. Many existing drainage systems could cause problems of flooding, pollution
or damage to the environment and were not proving to be sustainable. The
use of SUDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) had been developed to assist
where standard drainage systems could not cope. A site-specific flood risk
assessment considered the issue relating to surface water drainage and
determined whether SUDS were necessary.
Strategic Flood Risk Assessment
75. Local Authorities are required to produce Strategic Flood Risk Assessments,
which are Strategic documents that form the initial building blocks for
integrated flood risk management.
76. A Strategic Flood Risk Assessment examines the whole of the Borough and
identifies areas of increased flood risk from all sources of flooding, whilst
allowing areas to be assigned to broad categories and prioritising these in
ascending order as flood risk zones 1 to 3 (ie where 1 is the lowest and 3 is
the highest flood risk).
77. The use of Strategic Flood Risk Assessments has extended far beyond their
initial planning purpose and they have become useful in tool in Emergency
Planning, Flood Risk Management and Highways Drainage.
78. The Council commissioned its first Strategic Flood Risk Assessment in 2006
and has recently appointed consultants to provide an updated Assessment
that will take account of climate change projections and information from
partner organisations.
Highways Maintenance
79. Gully cleaning was a significant issue for residents and this was further
compounded by confusion about what the cleaning regime was and what
the machine actually did.
80. There were a number of different parts to this operation. The operator
would look to see if the gully was clear and the machine removed any debris
or silt. Water was then flushed down the gully, using a pressure machine
hose, to make sure there were no blockages. If there were a repeat
problem in a particular gully/area, this would suggest a blockage somewhere
in the pipe.
81. Members noted that across the Borough quite a few manhole and gully
covers were lost as they had a scrap value (often stolen at a rate of 20/30 a
day). Often people used vans to take the covers (they would park over the
manhole/gully and take the cover through a hole in the bottom of the van).
Stolen covers were being replaced with new nylon covers, which were as
strong as those currently used, but had no scrap value so should not be
prone to further theft.
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Resilience Planning: Preparation and Flood Response/Recovery
82. Preparation for disruptive challenges and emergencies is carried out in a
multi-agency way at the local, sub-regional and regional level. Good
working relationships are in place at all levels with other Category 1 and 2
Responder organisations. Tried and tested multi-agency plans are in place
but there is scope for improvement.
83. Council officers are utilising technologies such as Geographical Information
Systems to identify flooding hotspots in the Borough and this intelligence is
used to underpin the development of new multi-agency flood response
plans.
84. Knowing the locations susceptible to flooding and being able to predict when
they may flood is something that needs improving. Information needs to be
made more readily available for residents and businesses in advance of
flooding events. The Environment Agency operates a flood warning service
which will send out alerts and warnings to subscribing residents. However,
the service is optional and not all residents are aware of it.
85. The Council has tried and tested emergency response arrangements in
place, which are coordinated by designated Incident Controllers and Site
Co-ordinating Officers. The designated Incident Controller will manage the
response to the disruptive challenge from the Incident Response Room at
Barrington Street, South Shields. Key response tasks are identified through
the Council’s Emergency Response Plan and supporting arrangements.
These arrangements are exercised regularly.
86. The Council has successfully orchestrated the recovery process for small
scale flooding events. Flexible and adaptable recovery arrangements have
been developed and aim to bring together the right people, at the right time
and from the right level to organise post-emergency recovery efforts.
South Tyneside Homes
87. There was an insurance package offered to residents of South Tyneside
Homes which Members felt should be better marketed to customers. The
Head of Property Services indicated he would need to discuss any plans to
further promote the insurance package offered with the Director of Housing
and Communications and bring this information back to a future meeting.
88. Members heard that South Tyneside Homes had a good working
relationship with partner agencies and exemplary relationships with internal
colleagues.
Partner Agencies
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89. Members received a series of presentations from Officers within the
following Partner Organisations, on their roles in relation to managing flood
events:






Meteorological Office
Environment Agency
Northumbrian Water Ltd
Fire and Rescue Service
Northumbria Police
NEDL (Northern Electrician Distribution)
Meteorological Office
90. The Council’s Emergency Planning and Response Co-ordinator provided
this presentation on behalf of the Met Office.
91. The Meteorological Office does not forecast flooding from rivers or the sea
(this is the responsibility of the Environment Agency) but do issue early
warnings of severe weather, including heavy rain as part of the National
Severe Weather Warning Service. Part of this service is the provision of a
designated Public Weather Service advisor who is on hand to provide more
detailed meteorological advice and guidance for Category 1 and 2
responder organisations. This service has been used extensively during
flooding and other severe weather events.
92. Flood warnings are issued by the Meteorological Office and are then faxed
and emailed through to different locations in the Council. All designated
Incident Controllers and Site Coordinating Officers receive the warnings
electronically as they are issued through a forwarding system developed by
Environmental Health and Resilience.
93. A 24/7 Response Centre, based in Exeter, and a Flood Forecast Centre,
which was set up in April 2009 (responsible for the new Extreme Rainfall
Alert Service) issue additional, detailed flood warnings.
94. A new web-based portal has been established which can provide
subscribers with live weather data which can be used to inform the
emergency response to a flooding event. This new system will prove to be
invaluable in weather related disruptive challenges and will help the Council
to be proactive rather than reactive to severe weather events.
Environment Agency
95. A co-ordinated effort was needed in responding to flood events. Members
were told that Officers within the Environment Agency had excellent working
relationships with Officers from South Tyneside Council.
96. It was a big challenge for the Agency to map all areas susceptible to surface
water flooding, as was sharing information effectively. Surface water data
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has been supplied to the Council and this is being used as one of the
sources of evidence to underpin the development of multi-agency flood
plans.
97. At the present time the flood warning system was causing confusion to
residents, as a result of which it was hoped to change the system from a
four tier warning system to a two tier system. These changes will be
implemented in the summer of 2010 and all flood response plans will need
to be updated to reflect the new system and procedures.
98. The Agency works very closely with the Flood Forecast Centre to predict
surface water flooding events. However, due to the inherent complexity of
surface water flooding, it is difficult for to predict exactly where problems will
arise. Local knowledge was felt to be key in predicting and mapping surface
water events.
99. The Flood and Water Management Bill would specify individual agency
responsibilities for coordinating information on flood risk.
Northumbrian Water
100. The Sewage Operations Manager provided Members with this
presentation that included information on Northumbrian Water’s role as a
sewage undertaker, in resolving sewer flooding.
101. A Strategic Direction Statement published in 2007 set out the
organisation’s aims for the next 25 years and beyond.
102. Areas to be tackled in the future included the need to reduce blockages
(particularly FOG [fats, oil and grease] and food waste) and knowledge
and data sharing. Members noted that a trial was currently taking place in
Ocean Road, South Shields, with regard to reducing blockages.
103. Inspectors monitored what was placed in the drains and the organisation
responsible was prosecuted where necessary. In most cases, however,
people were unaware of the problems they were causing and would
genuinely try and rectify the problem.
104. With regard to brick sewers, Northumbrian Water had a CCTV programme
which looked at what were known as grade 4 sewers. Officers would deal
with any sewers in a poor condition as and when they came across them.
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service
105. The Group Officer, South Tyneside and the Group Manager (Resilience
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/Emergency Planning) gave information on the organisation’s regional
commitment to flood response, specialist risk teams, high volume pump
machine and rescuer training (inclusive of river training, swift water rescue
and ice training).
106. Members were also provided with details of flooding events at Morpeth,
Blackhall Mill and Ousburn and shown video footage of Officers carrying out
realistic rescue training exercises.
107. A Member outlined a situation that had occurred in Hebburn, whereby Fire
and Rescue Officers arrived on the scene, but informed residents they were
not allowed to start the pump until water had actually entered the house.
108. The Group Manager explained that ultimately the Service was concerned
with the risk to people’s lives and, in this type of situation, until the water
entered the property this risk was not present. The Service was required to
carry out risk assessments on where to place their appliances
/equipment (resources would go where the need was greatest).
Northumbria Police
109. The Council‘s Emergency Planning and Response Co-ordinator provided
this presentation on behalf of Northumbria Police.
110. The presentation included information on the levels of central co-ordination
(along with triggers and responses) the Flooding Command Structure, multi
agency co-ordination, resources and emergency preparedness.
111. Coordination of emergencies has a three level approach:
Multi-Agency Strategic Coordinating Group (SCG)/Single Agency
Gold
Chief Executive /Chief Officer level
Responsible for determining the overall policy and strategy for the
incident.
Multi-Agency Tactical Coordinating Group (TCG)/Single Agency
Silver
Incident Officers
Responsible for making tactical decisions regarding actions at the scene.
Multi-Agency Operational/Single Agency Bronze
Bronze Commanders
Responsible for implementing the response at the scene.
112. A key responsibility of the Police was to coordinate the multi-agency
response.
NEDL (Northern Electrical Distribution)
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113. NEDL and YEDL (Yorkshire Electricity Distribution Limited) were
subsidiaries of CE Electric UK Network. NEDL and YEDL held the licenses
to distribute electricity throughout the North East, Yorkshire and Humber and
North Lincolnshire areas.
114. Members were also provided with information on the severe flooding of 2000
and the flooding of Walham Sub-Station in June 2009.
Session 3 - The Story of Summer 2007 and the Pitt Review (October 2009)
115. The floods of 2007 claimed 14 lives and caused 55,000 people and 6,000
businesses to move from the area where they were located, and involved
the largest ever peacetime rescue effort.
116. Much of the presentation focussed on the worst hit county, Gloucestershire,
where the flood left in excess of 350,000 people without safe piped water for
up to 21 days.
117. Members were also shown a brief video of the floods, made by a student
undertaking a Journalism Degree, which it was considered highlighted the
scale of the problem.
118. The Residential Services Manager explained that the roles of the different
organisations involved in flood risk management aim to minimise the
recurrence of such major incidents.
119. Members were interested in particular the defence of Walham Sub-Station
and its close proximity to infrastructure and rivers. It was suggested that
shareholders were now looking at putting a flood defence system in place to
prevent further problems in the future.
120. Whilst some Members commented that the problems highlighted in the
presentation and video did not directly relate to the situation in South
Tyneside, the Chairman suggested that Members should keep in mind
predictions that the weather was going to get wetter which would increase
the possibility that such an event could happen in South Tyneside.
121. As an example, the Residential Services Manager highlighted problems
closer to home, in Durham, where at the beginning of June the river was
only 2ft short of one of the main bridges.
122. Members noted that NEDL and Northumbrian Water work together to
identify the main risks and were putting plans in place to manage these.
Pitt Review
123. Members received a presentation from the Assistant Director (Operations
and Resilience) Government Office for the North East on the Pitt Review,
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why this is so important and the wider Government response to the 2007
floods.
124. The presentation included a map of the Borough, showing the areas most at
risk from flooding. In South Tyneside problems are largely concerned with
surface water rather than river or coastal flooding.
125. Following the sudden events of 2007 that arrived without much warning and
resulted in massive financial losses, the Government asked Sir Michael Pitt
to carry out a comprehensive Review of lessons learnt from the floods.
126. The Review (beginning in August 2007 with the final report to Government in
June 2008) made 92 recommendations to Government; 15 where Local
Authorities had lead or implementing roles.
127. Actions to date were outlined in the presentation for Members’ information,
inclusive of the Flood and Water Management Bill and information on the six
monthly monitoring reports.
128. The Council is working with the Environment Agency to look at reservoir
safety and what actions would need to be taken if a dam broke. This work
arose from the Pitt Review and covered reservoirs owned by major water
utilities and others.
129. All of the work that needs to take place to respond to the Pitt Review
requires a lot of time and effort from all organisations working together.
130. The infrastructure of our sewerage system is old and, in some places dating
back to the Victorian era. Concerns have been raised and these are to be
taken forward when looking at how to develop and recover the
infrastructure.
131. Members discussed the risk-based approach of placing huge resources into
events that might only occur 1/200 years.
132. Pitt did argue the risk based approach, however also acknowledged
information from the Environment Agency and the Meteorological Office
suggesting that there was an increased risk of extreme events happening
more often and becoming more localised.
133. There are a large number of people in the borough uninsured against
flooding. Members were concerned about the need to enable people living
in flood risk areas to become insured for a limited amount, enough to enable
them to move on following an event.
134. The Assistant Director agreed that this was an issue of concern but said he
was not aware of any changes to current insurance schemes or of any new
schemes for those at risk of flooding.
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Draft Flood and Water Management Bill
135. The Flood Risk Management Team Leader, Environment Agency, provided
Members with a presentation on the Draft Flood and Water Management
Bill.
136. The presentation included some background information, set out what the
Bill had proposed, provided details of supplementary powers for the
Environment Agency and Lead Local Flood Authorities and listed problems
and challenges for partners
137. The Team Leader also stressed the importance of all agencies working
together in partnership to address the challenges posed by the Bill.
138. The Reservoirs Act 1975 sets out in detail what actions the owners of
reservoirs have to take. The Act defines a reservoir as a raised structure
impounding up to 25 cubic metres of water.
139. The Chairman indicated there were two areas, which she felt needed to be
looked into:


How the Authority can ensure people are not building in areas at risk of
flooding and what powers Officers have to say someone cannot build in
a specific area; and
A need for more trained engineers, which she felt could be an
opportunity for apprenticeships.
140. Members received a second presentation on the Draft Flood and Water
Management Bill, from the Environmental Protection Officer. This
presentation largely focussed on how the Bill will impact on the Council.
141. The Environmental Protection Officer explained responsibility for removing
items that have been discarded into streams/rivers is an area that needs to
be clarified, particularly in light of the fact that it is proposed to introduce a
statutory nuisance for this type of offence.
142. Whilst it is not compulsory for partners to work together there are powers in
the Bill relating to the sharing of information. However, as organisations are
now working closer than they had done in the past, it is hoped there would
be no need to use these formal powers.
143. Whilst the Pitt Review recommended there should be no new financial
burden for Local Government the Draft Bill then introduced a number of
measures the Council as a Lead Local Flood Authority would have to take
on for which there is no additional funding.
144. With regard to Local Authorities adopting and maintaining Sustainable
Draining Systems, the Highways Manager informed Members that there
were concerns that the Council is to receive no additional resources to carry
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out what is a complicated task and there is uncertainty as to where in the
Council this responsibility would be placed.
145. It was suggested members of the public should be made aware of the
problems caused by placing unsuitable materials down the drains and the
cost to the Authority and other organisations.
146. Officers from the Environmental Health and Resilience Service inspect and
respond to any complaints about private drains and sewerage systems.
Northumbrian Water is responsible for private systems only when they
become connected to the main sewerage network, and until that point
maintenance of the system is the responsibility of the resident.
Session 4 - How Resilient is the Council to Flooding Events (11 November
2009)
147. A number of Council buildings were susceptible to flooding as they had
basements which were below ground level. Buildings which had suffered
from problems with flooding included Bedewell Primary School, Hedworth
Primary School and Ocean Road Community Centre.
148. The Highways Section was responsible for adopted highways, however a lot
of land, passed over to South Tyneside Homes, was the responsibility of the
Estate Management Section; this section also had responsibility for
managing 100 civic buildings, youth clubs, factories, shops, miscellaneous
buildings and riverside structures.
149. There was a very limited budget (£1.9 million) to manage all of the Council’s
land and buildings. Further to this, there were budget restrictions and
insurance limitations. 2009-10 has seen a reduction of 20% which had
resulted in a £1.5 million capital programme to cover all buildings inclusive
of work to roofs, rewiring, door and window replacement, decoration and
dealing with flooding issues.
150. As regards insurance, there was an excess of £1 million, which caused lots
of problems (some Riverside structures and Jetties were uninsured) and
there had been no insurance claims at the date of the presentation. Many
organisations such as community centres took out private insurance with
regard to flooding.
151. The Estate Management Team tended to respond to flooding issues on a
reactionary basis, working with partners and those affected to resolve
problems.
152. Flooding issues were taken into account when extensions or alternations to
existing buildings were being considered.
153. Since 2005 buildings had been closed a total of 11 days as a result of
flooding (Bedewell Primary school had been closed for a number of days,
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Bedewell Excellence Centre for 3 days, Fellgate Primary School for 2 days
and Ocean Road Community Centre for 1 day).
154. Ongoing flood problems with larger cost implications (for example Hedworth
Allotments, Cornthwaite Park, Cleadon Lea and Wansbeck Mews, Hebburn)
would only able to be resolved through capital investment. For example
problems at Cornthwaite Park, Cleadon, had cost more than £50,000 plus to
remedy.
155. Members noted the limited resources meant that one serious flooding event
could use up the whole of the allocated budget in any one year.
156. All schemes were considered by the Capital Board and Members of the
Board made a decision on which ones to progress, taking into account
Officers’ suggestions/recommendations.
157. Members received a further presentation on Business Continuity
Management from the Corporate Risk Officer, which included information
relating to:







Civil Contingencies Act 2004
Category 1 and 2 Responders
South Tyneside Council’s Response
Invocation of the Plan
Roles and Responsibilities
Critical Services
Extending Business Continuity Management Requirements
158. There was a ‘call cascade’ system which is activated in an emergency.
159. The Corporate Risk Officer considered that every Service throughout the
Council should have a Plan, whether it was classed as critical or not.
160. The Council hoped to exercise its Plans throughout the year and since June
2009 one Business Continuity exercise had taken place, on flooding of the
Barrington Street office. The exercise determined that the Plan was
insufficiently detailed and it has subsequently been revised.
161. As regards vulnerable people in an emergency, the Council had recently
gone through a tendering process for Domiciliary Care for the whole of the
Borough. Each of the 28 submissions contained a Business Continuity
Plan, set against criteria based on good practice guidelines from the
Business Continuity Institute.
162. The Corporate Risk Officer informed Members that once she had been
informed of the successful candidate she would re-visit the Business
Continuity Plan and work with the organisation to ensure their Plan was fit
for purpose.
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163. Members were concerned that people receiving care packages were cared
for in an emergency. Adult Services had records of this nature and in the
event that usual care providers were unable to provide services, plans would
be put into place to provide an alternative package of care.
What Liabilities Does the Council Have in Relation to Flood Events
164. There were different types of problems associated with flooding. These
included building closures, cost to the Council, loss of irreplaceable items,
potential insurance claims, adverse publicity and possible nuisance claims.
165. There were things the Council could do better, such as work more closely
with partners, specialists and suppliers, identify areas at risk/develop risk
management plans and establish specific budgets to deal with flooding.
166. Members received a presentation from the Account Executive of Jardine
Lloyd Thompson, who outlined the market position in relation to flood and
insurance risks
167. The presentation included examples of recent flood events, with costs,
potential risks to the Council, how these would be funded and possible
solutions.
168. One example of a recent flood event related to Ollie Reservoir which was
sold to a Council in the1980’s for £1 and subsequently transformed into a
significant country park. During the 2007 rainfall the dam wall was
damaged, the park flooded and caused further damage to a 12 mile stretch
of the M1. The flood affected 500 residents and the estimated cost of the
incident was £4.75 million (not all of which was insurable).
169. Another example was the flood in Doncaster, where the Council had to build
a purpose built caravan park. People were still residing in the caravans two
years after the initial flood event. Also, in Tewkesbury, over 320 Council
staff were dealing purely with distributing water to residents.
170. Members wanted to know at what stage insurers became involved with
building projects. It was explained that usually Insurers did not get to know
about or become involved in new projects until late in the process.
However, work was ongoing with a number of Local Authorities to involve
Insurers in the planning stage of building works.
South Tyneside Homes
171. A further presentation was delivered to Members by the Head of Housing
Services, South Tyneside Homes.
172. In the event of a flood affecting customer’s homes, South Tyneside Homes
take a number of actions (working closely with partners).This includes
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provision of emergency accommodation, assisting victims with furniture and
provision of low cost home insurance.
173. Low cost insurance offered to tenants was with the Royal Sun Alliance,
considered to be the most cost effective and supportive insurance
organisation.
Sessions 4 – visit to Hull (30 November 2009)
174. As part of the Commission, Members visited Hull, the scene of devastating
floods in 2007. Members worked with colleagues from Hull City Council to
identify lessons from their flooding experiences and how areas could cope
more effectively with the aftermath and associated recovery of a major,
widespread flooding event.
Hull’s Flood Experience
175. Following a severe weather warning on 23rd/24th June, rain started falling in
the early hours of 25 June 2007. 100mm of water was deposited in the
region over the next 24hrs, which was the equivalent of 20 Olympic
swimming pools per second. The drainage systems could not cope with that
volume of surface run off. A major incident was declared by 9.30am and
emergency plan arrangements were put in place.
176. The impact of the flood was:



8649 homes damaged.
91 out of 99 schools effected.
1300 businesses effected.
177. The response included:







More than 700 council staff mobilised to undertake door to door surveys
at more than 25000 properties.
Dedicated database – Flood Online Support System (FLOSS).
Caseworkers for the most needy cases.
Dedicated Flood Advice Service.
Hardship Fund.
Provision of food, bedding, clothing, furniture etc.
Exemptions from Council Tax payments.
178. The event placed a huge demand on the construction industry and prices
increased dramatically.
179. 4/5 pumping stations broke down during the event. This was significant and
it was accepted that had increased pumping capacity been available this
might have reduced the effect of the flood in some areas of the City. In
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many cases, if the water level had been a few millimetres lower the property
would not have been affected.
180. During the early days following the event, Hull felt very much left out; other
areas that had suffered from flooding seemed to receive much more
recognition and assistance. A massive exercise took place to raise Hull’s
profile.
181. Ongoing support was required for a lengthy period after the flood and even
now, two and a half years later, the flood is still affecting people.
182. Many residents lived in caravans whilst their homes were drying out,
however caravans were a huge issue in themselves (eg connecting to power
and air lifting into residents’ back gardens).
183. Many suffered from secondary flooding (such as plaster and skirting board
peeling away from the wall) months after the initial flood event.
184. It was determined after the event that clarification of services and
individual’s roles and responsibilities would have been of significant benefit
in providing a more succinct response.
185. At the end of the presentation, key players in the flood, who were in
attendance at the meeting, briefly outlined the role they played in the event,
key issues for their area of work, actions taken and lessons learnt for the
future (copies of briefing papers are attached as Appendix B).
186. The whole operation affected some front line services and key performance
indicators (one example related to Council Tax collection rates). The
Council did receive a considerable amount of Government Support. In the
first year following the flood £3 ½ million of capital revenue was not
recovered and the Council had to prioritise services.
Tour of Flood Area
187. Members were given a tour of the western area of the City, which was badly
affected by the flood.
188. During the tour Members noted that:

Many of the properties were lower than the road, meaning that the
surface water ran directly into houses.

Some of the residential estates had very little space in front of the
properties and there was no room to place caravans. In such cases,
caravans were air lifted into residents’ back gardens.

Where caravans were placed in front of properties, it was extremely
difficult for anyone to enter or exit the smaller estates.
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
Some residents rented private caravans but private Landlords
commenced charging 3 to 4 times the normal rent.

The west of the City did not have a lot of community resources in
which to place residents affected by the flood and there were plans at
one stage to use churches.

There were a lot of problems with looters taking damaged goods that
residents had placed outside of their properties (waiting for insurance
assessors) and travellers were riding around in vans gathering up
what they could find. The Council found it difficult to deal with looters
as it stretched resources which were already heavily committed.

500 staff turned out to knock on doors in one neighbourhood. Some
staff found the experience harrowing, particularly when dealing with
vulnerable people (some could not understand why their families had
not arrived to help them out).

The Council literally ‘shut up shop’ to begin with and did not deal with
any ‘normal’ business.

Disputes amongst neighbours arose, where one property was affected
by the flood and the neighbour, due to his/her property being slightly
higher, was not affected.

Some of the larger national organisations donated cleaning fluids and
Park Rangers distributed this amongst residents.

There were many things that people did not think of, such as where
parks were flooded animals and birds had to be rescued, looked after
and fed; a number of staff took animals home with them.

People could not find alternative places to live and rented properties
were being snatched up very quickly.

In the aftermath of the flood, work being carried out in ‘right to buy’
properties was of a different standard to other Council properties.
Informal Discussion with Community Wardens and Residents
189. Members and Officers from South Tyneside took part in an informal
discussion with Community Wardens and Residents affected by the flood.
190. During the discussion both Residents and Community Wardens provided
information on their experience of the flood, as follows:
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
On the 25th it was raining heavily and one resident asked her
husband if he thought they would flood. He answered “why should
we?” A few minutes later the garden looked as if it was flooding, the
resident went to take a picture and in that moment the water came
through the middle of the floor in the front room (concrete floor).

Children were sent home from schools on the lunch time, but the
driveway was flooded. Ground maintenance vehicles had to collect
the children from the school door and take them to the end of the
drive so their parents could take them home.

The roads were very heavily congested.

Childminders were removed from their properties with the children
they minded. Parents did not know where their children were and if
they were okay.

There were a lot of problems with insurance companies; different
insurance companies were giving out different information. Loss
adjusters caused a lot of trouble for the insurance companies; they
were saying residents were not covered on their policies when the
insurance companies were saying they were covered.

The Council took on agency Social Workers, whilst Community
Wardens were expected to undertake additional duties as part of their
normal role. This caused massive problems and a great deal of
stress.

Some organisations were willing to contribute goods to victims of the
flood, whilst others were not. It would have been helpful to have had
a list of organisations able to contribute the different items that would
be needed, prior to the event.

Months after the flood residents did not know how much the damage
to their properties cost – loss adjusters would not give out this
information.
Session 5 – Impact of Climate Change (16 February 2009)
Met Office Presentation - Climate Change Fact or Fiction
Graham
191. Graham Butler – Met Office Public Weather Service Advisor, delivered this
presentation in which the following points were made

The evidence for Climate change happening and being caused by man
made factors is extremely compelling.
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


The production of “greenhouse” gases has risen dramatically in the last
100 years which has led to a gradual rise in temperature
The effect will be having more regular extremely hot summers like that of
2003. These sorts of weather conditions lead to deaths, particularly
amongst the elderly. It was estimated that the summer of 2003 resulted
in 30,000 extra death across Europe.
It is predicted that our climate will change in the following ways:
 Annual average temperature rise by the end of the century is very
likely to be 3.5C. Even if emissions of GHG stop now we will be
committed to an annual rise of 2C by the middle of this century.
 As summers become warmer and drier droughts are more likely.
However, there may also be more intense downpours of summer
rainfall, which could lead to flash flooding.
 The extreme heatwave of 2003 could happen every other year by
2040.
 Heavy winter precipitation is expected to become more frequent,
potentially causing more flooding.
 Sea level across the UK is projected to rise by between 11 and
76cms.
192. Members questioned whether the evidence for climate change created by
man made factors was robust given the recent “climategate” scandal
following leaked information from East Anglia University.
193. Mr Butler agreed that the publicity was damaging but that the East Anglia
University was just one organisation in a huge network of organisations
researching climate change and the overall weight of evidence was
compelling.
194. The Met Office had opened all of its data to public scrutiny.
Climate Change Projections
195. Adrian Hilton, Regional Climate Change Coordinator for Climate NE gave a
presentation highlighting the work going on in predicting climate change in
the North East.
196. He said that in the face of Climate change, the bottom line is that we need
to:



Enhance resilience of our infrastructure, communities and business and
natural environment to climate change.
Reduce our Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 80% - by 2050; and
Seize the opportunities that arise by gaining a competitive advantage
and to achieve economic diversification.
197. In the North East we can expect:
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








Changing weather patterns
Warmer, wetter winters
Hotter, drier summers
Reduction in soil moisture in summer
Increase in ‘high intensity’ rainfall events
Polarisation of rainfall
Higher incidence and severity of storm events
Changes is biodiversity
Changing patterns of public usage – natural environment
198. The North East Climate Adaptation Study predicts climate change in the
North East on smaller resolution (borough level) than national statistics. The
Environment Agency Regional Weather Impact Generator (EARWIG)
generates the statistics. The study looks a prediction to the 2050’s onwards.
199. Key predictions - by 2080



The average summer temperature will rise between 2 and 5.8ºC.
Summer decrease in rainfall by between – 5% and –10% and winter
increases between 8% and 20%.
Sea level rise of 30cm.
What Does this mean for flood risk and how can we adapt – Royal
Haskoning
200. Nick Cooper, Technical Director, Royal Haskoning, provided this
presentation on what climate change meant for South Tyneside (in terms of
flood risk) and what could be done to adapt to the changing climate.
201. With respect to surface water flooding, the main risks were:

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


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
Road closures
Electricity supply
Businesses
Community Centres
Residential homes
Metro services
Schools
Ferry services
202. Climate Change could lead to:


Increased flood risk to life, property and assets
Increased flood risk to critical infrastructure (sub-stations, sewage
treatment works, transport networks)
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Increase in blockages (debris)
Increased loading on river and coastal defences
Increased maintenance requirements
(debris removal, defence structures)
203. Knock-on and ‘indirect’ consequences included:

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


Impacts on mental and physical health
Loss of business continuity
Loss of livelihood
Severing of communities
Provision of services to vulnerable people
Environmental pollution or loss of habitats
Transport disruption
204. He talked Members through each of the flood risks in South Tyneside and
gave examples relating to the North Sea (Sandhaven and Littlehaven), River
Tyne and other rivers/burns (Riverside Regeneration), urban drainage,
sewer systems and land drainage (Cleadon Lea).
205. Members were also referred to the website where they could get further
information on the North East Adaptation Study, as follows:
www.adaptNE.org
206. He stressed that whilst there were some negative aspects to the effects of
climate change, it was important to stress the opportunities in adapting to
climate change, not only the challenges.
207. A Member raised concerns over how much it was going to cost to adapt to
the effects of climate change, given the current economic climate and asked
if any funding would be provided by Central Government.
208. He explained that the North East Adaptation Study recommended both
physical and political adaptation; one of the recommendations specifically
related to lobbying Central Government for funding, in light of the findings of
science available today.
209. Members also noted that in 2006 the Stern Review (Executive summary in
appendix 1), which looked at the cost of adaptation to climate change,
recognised that there would be a capital cost, however it was also
recognised that it was far more cost effective than if organisations did not
adapt.
Member Comments on Session 5
210. Whilst the session presented the case for climate change in a cogent
manner, some Members did feel that the argument against climate change
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being man made but more part of a natural cycle of change were not
presented to the committee.
211. Whilst this may not affect that fact that climate change is happening,
nevertheless, Members felt that this was an omission.
Conclusions and Recommendations
212. Following evaluation of all the evidence placed before the Commission, the
following conclusions were drawn:

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Working in partnership is vital. Developing robust and fit for purpose
flood resilience plans and arrangements is a complex process and can
only be achieved by working in a truly multi-agency way. Therefore, all
flood (and wider resilience plans) should be developed in close
cooperation with designated Category 1 and 2 responder organisations
(such as the Northumbria Police and Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue
Service) and non-designated emergency responders such as schools
and community organisations.
Sharing information and intelligence is key. Whilst all agencies
recognised the need for this, there was a further acknowledgement that
this was an area that needed some dedicated work undertaken. A key
enable is the use of technology which can be used more effectively to
overcome this challenge; initiatives such as the National Resilience
Extranet which will allow partner organisations to easily share flood
related information and intelligence and Category 1 and 2 responders
should commit to this new service.
Strategically, we need to undertake a detailed Risk Assessment which
balances flood risk against value for money in order to inform our long
term investment plans for flood defence schemes. This approach
needed to be driven at the individual local community level.
The ageing sewerage system may not be able to cope with the
increased rainfall due to climate change.
We need to look at what innovative solutions are available for flood
defence that can be used to enhance our existing arrangements and
equipment such as removable dams and flood barriers.
We need to make sure that we maximise the amount of people insured
against flood risk by more effectively communicating flood risk to
residents and have a scheme in place for those who are not.
Flushing Fats Oil and Grease into drains is a major problem. We need
to make sure that the public are aware of the problems it causes.
We need to make the public more aware of the Environment Agency
flood warning systems and how to sign up to it.
We need to make sure that sufficient expertise in the area of flood risk
management is retained in the Borough.
The fact that we are taking on new responsibilities as Lead Flood
Authorities under the Flood and Water Management Bill without any
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specific allocation from Central Government resource is a concern to
Members.
Local Authorities have a leadership role to perform which we will need
to explore and develop from Member and Officer perspectives and at a
strategic and local level through existing groups such as the Local
Responder Group.
Each service needs to consider the need for a business continuity plan
in the event of flooding and work with officers from Corporate Risk and
Governance to develop and test their service continuity plans.
We need to start to involve insurance companies at an earlier stage of
a development.
We need to make sure that we invest in the future infrastructure to
save further costs in the future. The Stern Review (Appendix 1)
concluded that the benefits of strong early action on climate change out
weigh the costs.
We need to identify what opportunities climate change can present
eg tourism, and the development of new technologies.
213. After consideration of these conclusions, Members would like to make the
following recommendations to the council and partner agencies.
R1
The commission should write to government urging them to embrace the
findings of the Stern Review in 2006 and provide adequate resources to
Local Authorities to take strong and decisive actions to adapt to future
climate change now in order to save greater costs being incurred in the
future.
R2
An ‘Annual Summary’ should be presented to the appropriate scrutiny
committee outlining action taken locally to manage flood risk and
implement the provisions of the Floods and Water Management Act. This
summary should include:

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
Revenue and capital spend
Revenue and capital proposals for the coming year
Strategic Flood Risk Assessment
Coastal Management Strategy update
Outline Flood Risk Management Plan
Engagement and advocacy within communities
Demonstration of the council’s leadership role
R3
Adequate capital and revenue provision needs to be made within the
budget on an annual basis to assist in implementing the Floods and
Water Management Act. This should include an appropriate contingency
for responding to unexpected flood events.
R4
A dedicated programme of training should be developed to build up
expertise in the area of Flood Risk Management and recruitment and
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retention policies should be put in place to ensure that these skills are
retained in an ever more competitive market.
R5
Whilst there are examples of good partnership working in the borough
and regionally, the Pitt Review challenges us to “raise our game in terms
of partnership working”. We would therefore recommend that:

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
R6
The Strategic Flood Risk Assessment for the borough needs to be
completed. From this there should a risk-based judgement as to our
most urgent flood risks. This should then underpin the development of:



R7
Updated Multi-Agency Flood Response Plan.
Flood Management Plan for the purposes of Flood Risk Regulations.
Development of Surface Water Management Plans.
The draft Community Resilience Strategy should be completed and in
particular set out the role of Neighbourhood Teams in engaging
communities to become more aware of flood risks and more resilient to
floods. Measure taken could include

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
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There is appropriate Member representation from the North East on
the Local Government Association Special Interest Group on Flood
Risk Management.
There is appropriate Officer representation to support the Local
Government Association Special Interest Group on Flood Risk
Management.
The ANEC/Environment Agency sub-regional Flood Coordination
Groups involve relevant partners in producing a data sharing
protocol.
Northumbria Water, the Council and other Partners meet locally to
programme manage the annual plan.
Promoting the role of the council as lead agency with partners.
Community flood wardens (volunteers).
Council managed local early warning systems (see R13).
Locally managed supplies of sandbags.
Information and practical advice on flood risk (particularly drawing
attention to surface water flooding) and protecting property.
Encouragement to for tenants and property owners insure against
flood risk.
Outlining the responsibilities of businesses with respect to the
disposal of fats oils and grease.
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R8
Work should be undertaken to ensure that all areas of innovation and
good practice are adopted locally. Measures that have been identified
during the commission process include:
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Air Brick covers
Raised electric points/air bricks
Mobile flood barriers
GIS mapping of gullies and culverts
Signs informing the public of when gully cleaning is taking place
R9
The Council should establish an Asset Register that identifies which of its
assets are susceptible to flood and the measures required to improve
their resilience to flood events.
R10
The Council should evaluate the risks pertaining to its own portfolio of
buildings with respect to business interruption/recovery. This should
include:

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
Each service establishing a business continuity plan.
Assessing whether present or future building design is appropriate.
Assessing risks that impact on others (eg council as a landowner).
R11
The Council should also review the likely opportunities that climate
change will present to ensure that South Tyneside is at the forefront of
any social or economic benefits that may come from these.
R12
We must ensure that flood risks are firmly taken account of within the
Local Development Framework.
R13
The Council should work with the Environment Agency to actively
promote their early flood warning services and to develop a system of
warning and informing communities prior to and during flood where this
remit falls outside of the Environment Agency role (ie where it does not
involve a major water course).
R14
The Council and South Tyneside Homes should review the insurance
products offered to tenants and actively promote the uptake of insurance
against flood risk.
R15
The Council should work with relevant partners to identify critical
infrastructure and its vulnerability to flood risk.
R16
The Council should progress the implementation of its Climate Change
Adaptation Strategy and in particular its proposals to work with
communities and businesses to prepare for the impacts of climate
change.
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Scrutiny Commission on Flood Risk Management)
Legal Implications
214. The Select Committee will not make any decisions with legal implications;
their role is to make recommendations to Cabinet.
Risk Implications
215. The purpose of the proposed Scrutiny Commission is to examine how the
Council and its partners can better manage the risk of flooding in the
Borough.
Equality and Diversity Implications
216. There are no equality and diversity implications.
Environmental and Sustainability Implications
217. The management of flood risk is identified as a key action in the
Environment Strategy. It is envisaged that recommendations from the
Commission will contribute towards improving environmental quality in the
Borough.
Report Recommendation
218. Members are asked to consider the report and agree the recommendations
for submission to cabinet and other relevant partner agencies
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Appendix 1 STERN REVIEW: The Economics of Climate Change (2006)
Executive Summary
The scientific evidence is now overwhelming: climate change presents very
serious global risks, and it demands an urgent global response.
This independent Review was commissioned by the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, reporting to both the Chancellor and to the Prime Minister, as a
contribution to assessing the evidence and building understanding of the
economics of climate change.
The Review first examines the evidence on the economic impacts of climate
change itself, and explores the economics of stabilising greenhouse gases in
the atmosphere. The second half of the Review considers the complex policy
challenges involved in managing the transition to a low-carbon economy and
in ensuring that societies can adapt to the consequences of climate change
that can no longer be avoided.
The Review takes an international perspective. Climate change is global in its
causes and consequences, and international collective action will be critical in
driving an effective, efficient and equitable response on the scale required.
This response will require deeper international co-operation in many areas most notably in creating price signals and markets for carbon, spurring
technology research, development and deployment, and promoting
adaptation, particularly for developing countries.
Climate change presents a unique challenge for economics: it is the greatest
and widest-ranging market failure ever seen. The economic analysis must
therefore be global, deal with long time horizons, have the economics of risk
and uncertainty at centre stage, and examine the possibility of major, nonmarginal change. To meet these requirements, the Review draws on ideas
and techniques from most of the important areas of economics, including
many recent advances.
The benefits of strong, early action on climate change outweigh the
costs
The effects of our actions now on future changes in the climate have long lead
times. What we do now can have only a limited effect on the climate over the
next 40 or 50 years. On the other hand what we do in the next 10 or 20 years
can have a profound effect on the climate in the second half of this century
and in the next. No-one can predict the consequences of climate change with
complete certainty; but we now know enough to understand the risks.
Mitigation - taking strong action to reduce emissions - must be viewed as an
investment, a cost incurred now and in the coming few decades to avoid the
risks of very severe consequences in the future. If these investments are
made wisely, the costs will be manageable, and there will be a wide range of
opportunities for growth and development along the way. For this to work
well, policy must promote sound market signals, overcome market failures
Contact Officer:
Paul Baldasera, Scrutiny Policy Officer, 4246022
background papers background papers background papers
Appendix 1 STERN REVIEW: The Economics of Climate Change (2006)
and have equity and risk mitigation at its core. That essentially is the
conceptual framework of this Review.
The Review considers the economic costs of the impacts of climate change,
and the costs and benefits of action to reduce the emissions of greenhouse
gases (GHGs) that cause it, in three different ways:

Using disaggregated techniques, in other words considering the physical
impacts of climate change on the economy, on human life and on the
environment, and examining the resource costs of different technologies
and strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Using economic models, including integrated assessment models that
estimate the economic impacts of climate change, and macro-economic
models that represent the costs and effects of the transition to low-carbon
energy systems for the economy as a whole.

Using comparisons of the current level and future trajectories of the ‘social
cost of carbon’ (the cost of impacts associated with an additional unit of
greenhouse gas emissions) with the marginal abatement cost (the costs
associated with incremental reductions in units of emissions).
From all of these perspectives, the evidence gathered by the Review leads to
a simple conclusion: the benefits of strong, early action considerably outweigh
the costs.
The evidence shows that ignoring climate change will eventually damage
economic growth. Our actions over the coming few decades could create
risks of major disruption to economic and social activity, later in this century
and in the next, on a scale similar to those associated with the great wars and
the economic depression of the first half of the 20th century. And it will be
difficult or impossible to reverse these changes.
Tackling climate change is the pro-growth strategy for the longer term, and
it can be done in a way that does not cap the aspirations for growth of rich or
poor countries. The earlier effective action is taken, the less costly it will be.
At the same time, given that climate change is happening, measures to help
people adapt to it are essential, and the less mitigation we do now, the greater
the difficulty of continuing to adapt in future.
Contact Officer:
Paul Baldasera, Scrutiny Policy Officer, 4246022
background papers background papers background papers
Appendix 2 glossary
Glossary
Artificial Drainage Systems
Climate Change Adaptation Strategy
Coastal Management Strategy
Community Resilience Strategy
Emergency Response Plan (ERP)
Environment Strategy
Flood and Water Management Bill
Flood Management Plan
Flood Response Plan
Contact Officer:
An artificial drainage system is
introduced to assist with the removal
of surface and sub-surface water from
an area such as culverts and
underground drainage systems.
This Strategy aims to assess South
Tyneside’s vulnerability to current
climate and future climate change,
identify options to address climate
risks and to develop a climate change
adaptation action plan.
This strategy describes how coastal
management, watercourse
management and associated flood
defence issues are being
developed and addressed in South
Tyneside.
This Strategy sets the overall
direction for engagement with the
local community for resilience issues
and how resilience planning will be
conducted in South Tyneside.
The central plan that provides details
of South Tyneside Council’s
arrangements for responding to
emergency situations.
This Strategy sets out plans to
improve and enhance our natural
environment, creating sustainable
communities through urban design,
living neighbourhoods and transport,
reducing waste and increasing
recycling, encouraging using energy
from renewable sources and meeting
the challenge of climate change.
A new bill that aims to reduce flood
risk and improve the management of
water resources.
There are several flood plans in
South Tyneside: South Tyneside
Responding to Flooding Incidents
Arrangements which will soon be
replaced by the South Tyneside
Tactical Flood Plan, NLRF MultiAgency Flood Plan (MAFP)
Paul Baldasera, Scrutiny Policy Officer, 4246022
background papers background papers background papers
Appendix 2 glossary
Groundwater flooding
Category 1 and 2 Responders
Northumbria Local Resilience Forum
(NLRF)
Pitt Review
Private Drainage Systems
Public Drainage Systems
Resilience Planning
Contact Officer:
A flood event that results from a rise
in groundwater level sufficient for the
water table to intersect the ground
surface and inundate low lying areas
A Category 1 responder has 7 key
duties under the Civil Contingencies
Act: Business Continuity
Management for internal services,
risk assessment, emergency
planning, warning/informing and
advising the public, cooperating with
other responder organisations,
sharing information with other
responder organisations and (for
Local Authorities only) providing
Business Continuity Management
advice to local businesses.
Category 2 responders support
Category 1 responders with fulfilling
their duties under the Civil
Contingencies Act.
The Northumbria Local Resilience
Forum was formed in 2005 in
response to the Civil Contingencies
Act 2004. This act requires specific
organisations across police areas to
work together to prepare, respond
and recover from different
emergencies.
Outlines the major implications of the
Government response to the Pitt
Review of the 2007 floods.
Private drains or sewers are the
responsibility of each owner whose
property connects into it. If more than
one property drains into a private
system, the cost of any work that may
be needed is usually shared
proportionally between all the
properties.
Public sewers are the responsibility of
the service provider and for residents
in South Tyneside it is Northumbrian
Water Limited.
The process of planning for
emergencies and disruptive
challenges.
Paul Baldasera, Scrutiny Policy Officer, 4246022
background papers background papers background papers
Appendix 2 glossary
South Tyneside Local Responders
Group
Strategic Flood Risk Assessment
Surface water flooding
Surface Water Management Plan
Contact Officer:
Local group that plan for multi-agency
emergencies and disruptive
challenges
SFRAs are intended to guide
development decisions and meet the
requirements of the Planning Policy
Guidance Note PPG25 Development
and Flood Risk
This type of flooding is caused
because the volume of water falling or
flowing onto the metalled surface
overwhelms existing drainage
systems.
A Surface Water Management Plan
(SWMP) is described as a framework
through which key local partners with
a responsibility for surface water and
drainage in their area work together
to understand the causes of
surface water flooding and agree the
most cost effective way of managing
that risk.
Paul Baldasera, Scrutiny Policy Officer, 4246022
background papers background papers background papers
Appendix 2 glossary
South Tyneside Resilience Plans
Tyne and Wear
Fire and Rescue
Service
Northumbria
Police
Other Local
Authorities
South Tyneside Responding
to Flooding Incidents
Arrangements
Northumbria Local
Resilience Forum MultiAgency Flood Plan
Voluntary
Organisations
Other Category 1 and 2
Responder
organisations resilience
plans
South Tyneside NHS
Foundation Trust &
South of Tyne PCT
y
South Tyneside Rest
Centre Arrangements
South Tyneside Council
Emergency Response Plan
South Tyneside
Humanitarian Assistance
Centre Arrangements
Contact Officer:
Utilities
South Tyneside Post
Emergency Recovery
Arrangements
South Tyneside Council
Emergency Catering
Arranagements
Paul Baldasera, Scrutiny Policy Officer, 4246022
background papers background papers background papers
background papers
background papers background papers
Scrutiny Commission on Flooding – Final report
The following is a list of the background papers (excluding exempt
papers) relied upon in the preparation of the above report:
Background Paper
File Ref:
File Location
The Pitt Review: Lessons
learned from the 2007
floods
www.cabinetoffice.gov.
uk/thepittreview/final_re
port.aspx
Stern Review: the
economics of climate
change 2006
http://www.hmtreasury.gov.uk/d/Exec
utive_Summary.pdf
Contact Officer:
Paul Baldasera, Scrutiny Policy Officer, 4246022
background papers background papers background papers