Council aim to tackle flooding

Bruce Laughton, whose ward is Southwell and Caunton, called for stronger and more proactive future action at a council meeting last Thursday.

Southwell was particularly badly hit flooding last July, forcing businesses to shut and residents to mount a major clean-up operation.

Coun Laughton urged the council to put pressure on the Environment Agency to properly dredge and maintain the area’s main rivers to prevent future devastation and also demanded other relevant statutory bodies also take greater responsibility.

And while his motion was amended to be less strongly-worded, it was unanimously upheld, committing the council to push for improvements.

“Many speakers in the chamber criticised the Environment Agency for not properly fulfilling its duty to dredge and maintain our rivers,” said coun Laughton.

“I am delighted that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is now fast-tracking the previously delayed implementation of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDs), which proves that this motion could not have been more timely or topical.”

Councillor Roger Jackson, who represents Farnsfield and Lowdham, seconded the motion and said: “It was important that local councillors in flood affected communities represented the concerns of their residents.”