Organisations identified as responsible for flooding in Boston should be held accountable, councillors say

A total of 38 homes were flooded in Wyberton West Road and Park Road in Boston in January, according to Lincolnshire County Council.

At an overview and scrutiny committee meeting on Thursday (September 4) at Boston Borough Council, members heard that the county authority had produced a report to identify the causes of the flooding and the organisations responsible for dealing with it.

The county council said the Environment Agency and the Black Sluice Internal Drainage Board (IDB) were responsible for dealing with the flooding – but councillors said they were concerned that those organisations would try to shift the blame away from themselves and onto the borough council.

The report concluded that the flooding was caused by low pressures from the Atlantic, which resulted in heavy rainfall and snow across Lincolnshire.

The county council said the homes affected were generally on lower-lying ground and were built on soil with a high clay content, meaning the ground was already over-saturated.

It said that residents should implement flood prevention measures into their homes, including installing a sump pump or puddle pump and storing valuable items above ground level.

The report said that the Environment Agency should develop a flood action plan to warn residents ahead of future flooding.

The county council said that high tide levels created drainage problems in the town and caused a build-up of water.

Christian Allen, assistant regulatory director at the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership, said: “Members will recall the devastating flooding in Boston that took place earlier this year which resulted in the flooding of 38 properties.

“Lincolnshire County Council in their role as Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) are duty bound to conduct an investigation into the causes of a flooding event that results in property being internally flooded.”

Coun Barrie Pierpoint, an Independent member who represents the Staniland ward, said he was concerned that Environment Agency and Black Sluice ICB would try to avoid blame.

He said: “Organisations like this will never admit responsibility. If we’re going to do something then we need to invite them but I don’t think they will come.

“What can we do ensure that this will not happen? These organisations need to be held accountable for their actions.”

Coun Ralph Pryke, a Liberal Democrats member who represents the Kirton and Frampton ward, said he was worried that the county council no longer had the resources to deal with future flooding events.

He added: “I support the approach that we are taking here. But I’m concerned that the county council has got rid of its flooding committee and have merged it into its environment committee.

“There are quite a number of problems which I don’t think the county council is going to be able to pay attention to because of it.

“We’re going to have to work together with the county council to ensure that these things are sorted out.”

Coun Suzanne Welberry, an Independent member who represents the Swineshead and Holland Fen ward, said she did not believe that the organisations ‘care’ about preventing future flooding.

She said: “People need some guidance and it’s important to protect them from future flooding.

“It was a catalogue of errors by these organisations and they’re just not interested in preventing flooding. Nobody seems to care.

“It’s not acceptable and we need to take this further.”

Coun Welberry went on to say that she felt the borough council had been wrongly blamed for the flooding when it was not its responsibility to deal with it.

She added: “We should also ask the residents if they have any questions. We were blamed for this but those organisations were not mentioned.

“We need to show the residents that we are not at fault here.”

Mr Allen said: “These questions need to be put to risk management authority when we invite them to a future meeting.

“The flooding in Boston was a very distinct issue and we need to be focused on the reasons for why this has happened.”

Coun Paul Gleeson, an Independent member who represents the Skirbeck ward and was chairing the meeting, proposed that the committee invited the Environment Agency and the Black Sluice IDB to be questioned at a future meeting.

He said: “I think a staged approach is the right way forward. It’s better to come with our recommendations.

“We should invite those organisations to a future meeting where we can put forward these recommendations.

“There were various other areas in Lincolnshire which also flooded, but we have a duty as a borough council to make sure that we keep an eye on this and make sure that residents know that we’re keeping a watchful eye on them.”