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Agenda and minutes

Venue: PORCHESTER HALL, Porchester Road Westminster W2 5HS

Contact: Artemis Kassi, Lead Scrutiny Advisor/Statutory Officer  Email: akassi@westminster.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Membership

To note any changes in the membership.

Minutes:

1.1.      Councillor Geoff Barraclough replaced Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Councillor Nafsika Butler-Thalassis replaced Councillor Adam Hug, Councillor Guthrie McKie replaced Councillor Pancho Lewis, and Councillor Robert Rigby replaced Councillor Eoghain Murphy for this meeting.

2.

Declarations of Interest

To receive any declarations by Members and Officers od the existence and nature of any pecuniary interests or any other significant interest in matters on this agenda.

Minutes:

2.1.      There were no declarations of interest.

3.

Minutes

The minutes of the meeting on 30th June 2021 will be reviewed at the Committee’s meeting on 19th October 2021.

Minutes:

3.1.      RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting?held on?30 June 2021 would be reviewed?at the Committee’s next meeting, scheduled for 19 October 2021.

4.

Westminster City Council: Interim Section 19 Report pdf icon PDF 215 KB

To receive and consider the Interim Section 19 Flooding Report produced in line with the Council’s statutory role as the Lead Local Flood Authority for the City of Westminster (Flood and Water Management Act 2010).

Additional documents:

Minutes:

4.1.      Before inviting Westminster City Council to present its interim report, the Chairman, Cllr Gotz Mohindra, had explained that this was an extraordinary scrutiny meeting and outlined the format for the meeting. The Chairman had also explained that, in a scrutiny meeting, questions would not be taken from the Public Gallery during the meeting but that one ward councillor from each of the affected wards had been invited to make a short deputation during the meeting, in addition to written deputations in advance of the meeting. Cllr Mohindra also explained that the purpose of scrutiny was to ensure transparency, accountability, better decision-making, improved services for residents and learning. Cllr Mohindra also referred to figures published by the London mayor’s office showing that 200,000 homes and workplaces, as well as 25% of rail stations in the capital and 10% of the network, a fifth of London schools, were all at high risk of flooding if extreme temperatures and flooding deteriorated and observed that there were lessons to be taken from the flooding events in Westminster in July.

 

4.2.      The Chairman also outlined the format for the meeting, stating that the Committee would receive presentations on the response to the July flooding incidents from Westminster City Council officers, Thames Water officers and the London Fire Brigade. The Chairman explained that all questions would be asked following the presentations by Westminster City Council officers, Thames Water and the London Fire Brigade.

 

4.3.      The Committee welcomed Councillor Geoff Barraclough to speak on behalf of the residents of Maida Vale Ward. The Committee noted Cllr Barraclough’s deputation, which focused on the trauma, loss of property, and peril that residents had experienced. Cllr Barraclough suggested lines of enquiry for the meeting, including: the slow response of relevant authorities, including Thames Water, Westminster City Council, and housing associations, primarily Notting Hill Genesis; the lack of meaningful support offered to victims; the failure of the Maida Vale Flood Alleviation Scheme; and floodproofing of residents’ homes.

 

4.4.      The Committee welcomed Councillor Ruth Bush, who spoke on behalf of the residents of Harrow Road Ward. The Committee heard Councillor Bush’s experience on the evening of the floods and was also informed that Harrow Road Ward was not as badly affected as Maida Vale Ward. Cllr Bush highlighted that this could have been due to the reservoir under Tamplin Mews Gardens, which was built by Thames Water specifically to contain the risk of sewer flooding. The Committee noted that the Leader of the Council, Rachael Robathan, had not visited the areas affected until Saturday, 17 July, and it was not known whether Thames Water personnel had done so at all.

 

4.5.      The Committee welcomed Councillor Matthew Green, who spoke on behalf of the residents of Little Venice Ward. The Committee was informed of the devastation that the Councillors of Little Venice Ward had witnessed first-hand, and the anguish of residents, some of whom had been flooded for the third time on 12 July. The Committee was called upon to seek out  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.

Thames Water interim briefing report pdf icon PDF 200 KB

To receive and consider an interim report from Thames Water concerning the flooding incidents of July 2021 in the City of Westminster.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

5.1.      The Committee welcomed Matthew Rimmer and George Mayhew to introduce the Interim Briefing Report from Thames Water. 

 

5.2.      The Committee was informed that Thames Water’s Interim Briefing Report, and the evidence they would provide at this meeting applied to the events of both July 12 and July 25.

 

5.3.      The Committee heard that heavy rainfall had overwhelmed Thames Water’s drainage systems, including the Maida Vale Flood Alleviation Scheme. The Committee was advised that Thames Water considered their response on the nights of the floods to be unacceptable and that residents having to wait hours to contact Thames Water, and the time taken for Thames Water officers to arrive on scene was as also considered unacceptable. The Committee further heard that the storm itself had not been predicted, despite Thames Water’s close monitoring of the weather. The Committee was informed that Thames Water would introduce a new telephony system and work rota, to improve on response rate. 

 

5.4.      The Committee accepted that, whilst this did not excuse the events of the night, nor absolve any party present, the predominant cause of the floods had been the intensity and volume of rainfall in a short space of time. 

 

6.

London Fire Brigade Briefing Report pdf icon PDF 104 KB

To receive a briefing report from the London Fire Brigade about the events of 12 July 2021.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

6.1.      The Committee welcomed Borough Commander Rodney Vitalis and Station Commander Jon Singleton of the London Fire Brigade (LFB) to introduce the London Fire Brigade Briefing Report.

 

 

6.2.      The Committee heard that on July 12, 2021, the London Fire Brigade Control had experienced the busiest call rate in its recorded history. Commander Vitalis advised the Committee that at approximately 7:30PM, the LFB had declared a major incident due to heavy rainfall causing a series of flooding events across northwest and southwest London and that by midnight, the call rate had escalated to 1755 calls, whereas on a normal night at this time, calls would have averaged 115. The Committee was presented with some examples of calls which the LFB received, including people trapped inside vehicles by high water; flooding in residential premises; evacuating or rescuing people trapped inside their homes; flooding incidents where there was a risk of fire; partial collapse of structures due to water pressure; and flooding of other premises, such as transport hubs and electrical substations.

 

 

6.3.      The Committee was informed of the LFB’s method of responding to these incidents via the process of ‘batch mobilising,’ whereby officers would be dispatched in groups to a hub in a local area with multiple appliances (fire engines) in order to rapidly deploy in that area. The Committee heard that on July 12, Wandsworth Fire Station, Hammersmith Fire Station, and Paddington Fire Station were used as hubs for batch mobilising. Commander Vitalis introduced Station Commander Jon Singleton who had been present on the night of July 12 at Paddington Fire Station, co-ordinating the mobilisation of officers and vehicles to respond to incidents. The Committee welcomed the knowledge that calls to the LFB were triaged based on priority, with preservation of life being the key determiner in mobilisation.

 

 

6.4.      The Committee welcomed Darsha Gill (Operations Manager, Environment Agency), and Sam Lumb (Deputy Director of Corporate Affairs, Environment Agency), to introduce the Environment Agency (EA) and to provide contextual information about  the Environment Agency and its role in flood prevention and management. The Committee heard how the EA’s role was to lead on flood risk prevention, primarily for main rivers and coastal areas, whereas local authorities had the lead on surface water, though the EA supported and worked in partnership with other authorities for flood management. The Committee heard how, as such, representatives from the EA were attending this meeting in this supporting capacity and due to the EA’s strategic role in flood management. The Committee was however advised that the EA did have a role in emergency response, and so did assist with urgent responses to flooding incidents, for example, supporting with pumping water. The Committee was informed that the EA had issued multiple flood warnings throughout the period of July 2021. 

 

 

6.5.      The Committee welcomed PC Jason Emmett, from the Maida Vale Safer Neighbourhood Team, who spoke on behalf of the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS). The Committee heard that on July 12, Maida Vale was one of the most severely  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.

Work Programme pdf icon PDF 118 KB

To consider the Committee’s work programme.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

7.1.      The Committee discussed its work programme and discussed establishing a task group to work to protect communities from flooding events, investigate the causes of flooding, and assist residents with insurance claims should be created. The Committee noted that the full report from Thames Water was due in early 2022, and the Committee requested that any other external organisations composing reports on this matter share them with the Committee. The Committee considered reviewing the flooding events at a meeting in 2022, once the Thames Water Independent Review was available. The Chairman advised that the next meeting of the Committee was scheduled for 19 October 2021 and thanked all for their attendance.