To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies were received from Cllr Yolande Watson and Cllr Carole Gandy.

To receive details of members nominated to attend the meeting in place of a member of the committee.

Cllr David Summers substituted for Cllr Yolande Watson

Cllr Roger Phillips substituted for Cllr Carole Gandy.

To receive declarations of interests in respect of Schedule 1, Schedule 2 or Other Interests from members of the committee in respect of items on the agenda.

Four members declared membership of the River Lugg Drainage Board.

To receive the minutes of the meeting held on 21^st September 2022.

The minutes of the meeting held on 21 September 2022 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

To receive any written questions from members of the public.

There were no questions received from members of the public.

To receive any written questions from members of the council.

There were no questions received from Councillors.

To consider the Herefordshire Local Flood Risk Management Strategy action plan, which identifies a programme of work for reducing local flood risk within Herefordshire.

A video recording of the discussion and debate on this item can be found at Herefordshire Council’s website:

Environment and Sustainability Scrutiny Committee, 18th Nov, 2PM - YouTube

commencing at 6:03 minutes into the recording.

Councillor Louis Stark (Committee Chair) outlined how he intended to approach the item, noting that a paper on the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy Action Plan along with 3 appendices had been received by the committee.

The Chair noted that Herefordshire Council was the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) and that it was the Council’s responsibility to lead in managing local flood risks.

The Chair also gave an overview of the Council’s statutory responsibility to publish a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS), which provides a framework to enable the LLFA to lead and co-ordinate flood risk management across Herefordshire.

The Chair then provided a summary of the LFRM’s five key objectives for flood risk management:

Objective 1: Understand flood risks throughout Herefordshire.

Objective 2: Manage the likelihood and impacts of flooding.

Objective 3: Help the community help themselves.

Objective 4: Manage flood warning, response and recovery.

Objective 5: Promote sustainable and appropriate development.

The Chair explained that the intention was to use the five objectives to structure the way the committee would scrutinise the action plan.

The committee went through the five objectives and discussed the plan with attendees and officers in great detail. A brief discussion on recommendations arising from the discussion took place, but due to time limitations the committee agreed that the Chair and the Statutory Scrutiny Officer (Michael Carr) would go away and produce a number of recommendations and findings for consideration at the next meeting on 19 January 2023.

It was resolved that:

A set of recommendations and findings relating to the flooding risk action plan be drafted by the Committee Chair and Statutory Scrutiny Officer (with input from the rest of the committee) for approval and submission at the next ESSC meeting of 19 January 2023.

To note the progress report on scrutiny information requests, scrutiny reports and recommendations and other matters raised by the committee.

The Committee gave consideration to the report as set out on pages 29-40 of the agenda, which provided a brief summary update on issues previously considered.

The Committee unanimously took the report as read.

To note the Environment and Sustainability Scrutiny Committee Work Plan. 

The Committee gave consideration to its Work Programme as set out on pages 41-48 of the agenda.

The Committee voted unanimously in favour of a circulated amendment to the waste management item scheduled for the Committee meeting of 19 January 2023  

To note the next scheduled meeting of the committee on Thursday 19th January 2023.

The Committee noted its next meeting date as 19 January 2023.