Agenda item

Flooding

Ewan Jones provided an update on the flooding working group and reported on the two workshops that had taken place.  He said another one would take place in a couple months in Bruton with the Civil Contingencies Team available to help support and advise.

During discussion several concerns and frustrations were voiced regarding the lack of 24-hour emergency response and accessible reporting mechanisms available from Somerset Highways, along with support from relevant other authorities regards emergency flooding and the clearing of gullies.  Parishes felt more was required from supporting networks such as the Environment Agency, LLFA and the Council to help ensure any issues were quickly and correctly addressed and directed to the appropriate contact. 

Ewan Jones was disappointed to hear these concerns and was happy to take contact details and liaise with relevant parishes after the meeting, as he had not personally encountered these problems.

Bel Deering representative from Community Engagement and Local River Authority acknowledged concerns raised, and although they did not have the technical expertise, she offered support to parishes to help provide and direct parishes to the correct people.  She could also help put together any concerns and assist with those parishes working on emergency plans.

Her email should anyone wish to make contact:

Bel.deering@somerset.gov.uk

Kate Hellard, LCN Service Manager acknowledged the comments raised and suggested it was a good opportunity for the Highways working group to address these issues.

Tim Cook, Localities Manager, explained that fundamentally reporting around emergency planning had not changed since LGR and the new Somerset Council.  He explained the process and emergency services involved and appreciated there may have been some communication problems due to limited resources but that there has always been a continuous 24-hour emergency helpline. He was disappointed to hear this and welcomed parishes to make contact should they encounter these problems again.

Ewan Jones appreciated the comments made and concluded that there were lessons to be learnt.  He believed this was an opportunity for communities to look at what we could do ourselves in the future, to be prepared for these events and work with the appropriate parties to ensure this happens.

Councillor Richard Wilkins, Lead Member for Transport and Digital also acknowledged the concerns raised.  He said the lack of response was unacceptable and would look into this issue further but explained that due to the current financial emergency and the bulk of funding being allocated for children and social services the highways budget was very small in comparison. 

Highways

Terena Isaacs provided an update on the Highways working group, this included:

·         Succes of the initial meeting in January which had been well attended with information given regarding the ‘Highway Steward’ scheme.

·         Next steps in setting up a sub group compromising of 6 members which have been agreed, with objectives going forward of quarterly meetings with Highways to help look and prioritise what parishes want.

During discussion several comments were raised on issues regarding community speed watch schemes and the harassment some volunteers had faced.  They also spoke about the difficulties and lack of support from both the police and highways authority regarding the possibility of automated speed devices and any data this would provide.

Some parishes welcome the support of their local PCSO and advised parishes to contact the police should they have issues regarding harassment of the local people carrying out these speed surveys.

Kate Hellard, LCN Service Manager felt this was a good discussion topic for future highways working group and that an action should be taken forward to help facilitate parishes to connect with the appropriate community inspector for their area.  She asked that the contact details of the six representatives of the working sub group be shared with the parishes to help provide contact details for anyone requiring more help and support on the issues raised.

ACTION: LCN team –to circulate contact details of the representative of the highways sub working group and help parishes connect with the appropriate Community Police Inspector for their area.

Contact for the LCN team – southeastlcn@somerset.gov.uk

Footpaths

Terena Isaacs provided an update on the Footpaths working group, this included:

·         Explained a recent meeting had been shown the online mapping system and you tube video that she would share with the notes of this meeting where people can plot faults and track progress.

·         Discussed the way forward of the working group and sought clarification on the frequency of meetings required.

 ACTION: LCN team –to circulate details of the online mapping system and reporting tools with the notes of the meeting.

Contact for the LCN team – southeastlcn@somerset.gov.uk

In response to questions raised regarding the responsibility of emptying of gullies, Councillor Richard Wilkins confirmed the Council have a statutory duty to do this. He explained that any additional enhanced works would be at an extra cost and would need to be paid for by the parishes in the future.  He referred to the success of the recent pilot ‘Highway Steward Scheme’ and that parishes would need to buy into this.  He could not provide any further details at this stage but could confirm that works would not be reduced for 2024/25 but would be reduced in 2025/26.  He voiced his frustrations that this was the case, but was the result of the current financial situation and challenges that the Council unfortunately find themselves in.

In response to concerns regarding HGV’s and the current weight restrictions of lorries at Queen Camel bridge, Councillor Richard Wilkins noted the concern and would look to progress this further with Highways. His email should anyone wish to contact him was Richard.wilkins@somerset.gov.uk

During further discussion it was suggested that going forward a ‘programme of works’ be submitted to the working groups to provide parishes with an idea of what works were ongoing in their areas.  They believed this would help these working groups get access to the correct officers and provide direct answers to any ongoing issues.  Tim Cook acknowledged this request and would look to take this forward as a future action for the LCN team.

Concerns were raised regarding the roles of the parish councils in maintaining the network of public rights of way.  Much of the land is privately owned and therefore clarification was sought on the liability and responsibilities of any issues that should occur such as personal injury and broken fences/gates etc. Who should be contacted? as don’t often know who the landowner is and although parishes were doing their best, this was restricted and therefore was a need to address this and find an efficient way of dealing with the issues in the future.

Terena Isaacs noted these concerns and would look to circulate further information and contact details to all parish councils.  She noted Eve Wynn could help.