Many of you will recall that last year Brian Kelk relinquished his role as Principal NHW Co-ordinator for personal reasons, but he carried on as Flood Warden. Due to the on-going nature of his circumstances he recently indicated that he now needed to relinquish that role too. The opportunity was taken to review the operation and effectiveness of the role, led by the Parish Council in consultation with local elected representatives, the District Council, NHW and some of the local residents most affected by the most recent flooding. The review clarified the duties and responsibilities of the Flood Warden and concluded that these could most effectively be undertaken within the local democratically elected and accountable government framework i.e the Parish Council. Key to this thinking was that:
- given the fragmented nature of responsibilities for flooding issues which involve the Parish Council, the District Council, the County Council (Highways), Severn Trent and the Environment Agency, the post would have more "weight" and influence if formally linked into the established local infra-structure
- should there be any future shortcomings these could be addressed within the established Parish Council framework
In line with this the Parish Council appointed Peter Sheardown as Flood Co-ordinator at it's September meeting. This is a voluntary position that Peter is very well placed to undertake for the Parish as he is a farmer with a long-standing knowledge of local environment conditions and the management of water courses, and previously operated as Deputy Flood Warden under Brian Kelk. The historical link with NHW will be maintained as Peter is also Deputy Principal NHW Cordinator, and the NHW email alert system will continue to be used to publicise information and warnings about flooding. In a flooding emergency, the local NHW Co-ordinators will continue to act as Local Flood Wardens as at present. The main difference that residents need to be aware of is that for future advice and support on flooding issues they should contact Peter Sheardown direct (07516 761321 or 01949 844591) and not NHW.
Hopefully these arrangements will enable us to address future flooding risks most effectively. Further information is being posted on the Parish Council notice boards and is attached.
John Shilton
Principal Coordinator
Bottesford Parish Neighbourhood Watch
Mob: 0772 5636626
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