Questions on Notice
To deal with any questions on notice from Members of the Council, in the order in which they have been received.
A period of up to 15 minutes is allocated for the asking and answering of questions. This may be extended at the discretion of the Chairman with the agreement of the majority of those present.
Minutes:
Question submitted by Councillor P. Thomas
“To the Leader of the District Council, what action has been taken to help residents in Wythall affected by the flash floods?”
The Leader responded that he would like to put on record his thanks to Bromsgrove’s Emergency Team who responded so ably on Bank Holiday Monday. The Leader advised that they were around on the morning to assist where they could along with the County Council Highways Team and Fire assistance on the Sunday evening. The Leader highlighted that there had only been two Councillors out of a possible six County/District Councillors around at the time. The latest figures from the Multi Agency Recovery Team was that approximately 300 properties had been affected with 220 having full internal flooding which would take some time to dry out and make homes habitable again. As it had been a mixture of surface and drain water, a large area had been contaminated and would require decontamination by Severn Trent.
The Council had provided sandbags and further support over subsequent days with a presence in the Community Hub. The National Flood Team van was around for four days last week and North Worcestershire Water had three teams knocking on doors to check residents. Severn Trent had advised that it was a “one in 2,000 year event” with over 130mm of rain (5 inches) in 2 hours and more rain had fallen on Wythall than in Tewkesbury in 2007.
The Leader concluded that the Council’s task would be ongoing for some time as many people would have to leave their homes and would want advice on Council tax and other areas and the Council would continue to be proactive in helping its residents.
Question submitted by Councillor S. Webb
“What activities are available for families and children in the town centre parks over the summer?”
Councillor P. J. Whittaker, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Cultural and Community Services highlighted to Members the Better Bromsgrove magazine which contained details of all activities which were planned for the summer months throughout the District. Copies of the magazine were available for all Members and details of the events were also available on the Council’s website.