Cheshire West and Chester Council establishes Flood Risk Action Group

A new action group is to be set up in Cheshire West and Chester to oversee the action being taken to prevent future flooding events in the borough.

Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Cabinet announced today (Wednesday, 17 March), that the Flood Risk Action Group (FRAG) will be established to oversee the recommendations coming out of the Section 19 investigation report into the 2019 flooding in Northwich.

 The group will also ensure that an interim investigation report into the flooding events in January will be produced within the next four months. 
At its meeting, the Council’s Cabinet accepted the flood investigation report and formally endorsed the action points it recommends.

 The report states: “It is proposed that the Council immediately establishes a Flood Risk Action Group to oversee the earliest positive and effective delivery of all the recommended actions set out in the final Northwich Section 19 Investigation Report.”

The group, which will be made up of Council members and officers, will work closely with partners including community members, business groups, MPs, and Town and Parish Councils.

It will also work alongside other agencies including the Environment Agencies, United Utilities and the Canal and River Trust.

Within the next fours months, FRAG will also develop a programme of initiatives, schemes and resources to help the borough recover from the flooding impacts of Storm Christoph and improve flood risk management and resilience. This programme will be submitted to the Council’s Cabinet in July, 2021 for approval. 

The group will be chaired by the Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for the Environment, Highways and Strategic Transport, Cllr Karen Shore.

Speaking at today’s Cabinet meeting, Cllr Shore said: “We take the flooding events and the impacts on our residents very seriously. We are committed to doing all we can to mitigate the impacts of flooding as we move forward. That’s why I am announcing the establishment of the Flood Risk Action Group which will oversee the implementation of the recommendations. These include the creation of a programme of initiatives, schemes and resources that will help the borough recover from the impact of flooding. We want to underline our commitment to action and we look forward to working with all agencies, stakeholders, MPs, councillors, residents, businesses, landowners and communities to ensure these actions are delivered in a timely, open and transparent way. We are committed to ensuring that they are clear, timely and impactful.”

You can read the full Section 19 Flood Investigation Report on the 2019 flooding here:  

http://cmttpublic.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/documents/g6225/Public%20reports%20pack%2017th-Mar-2021%2010.00%20Cabinet.pdf?T=10