To consider the report of the Council Leader and Members' questions on the report
Minutes:
The Leader reported on the aftermath of Storm Babet and the sad and unfortunate death of a Derbyshire resident. He also recognised the efforts of the Local Resilience Forum and the County Council dealing with a very significant rainfall and flood event that once again impacted quite widely across Derbyshire. The emergency planning response was exemplary with DCC staff being deployed to ensure communities were as safe as they could be. Partnership working had been excellent which was critical to a timely, effective and efficient response.
Working with the Environment Agency meant that flooding in Matlock town centre had been averted on this occasion because of preventative measures implemented. In addition gully cleansing equipment had been deployed to minimise surface flooding wherever possible alongside the efforts of Districts and Boroughs deploying flood defence solutions where possible and the use of sandbags where necessary.
Areas of Derbyshire were affected that had never been before and it had been devastating. In the immediate aftermath our teams had been cleaning up, work was on-going monitoring the situation and, as part of the recovery phase of the LRF, the recovery cell still met to support residents and businesses.
Councillor Lewis recorded his thanks to the many partnerships that ensured vital services could still be delivered during a very difficult time.
Councillor Lewis then reported on the Derbyshire Heartwood Community Forest, a really good piece of work, that had also involved his colleague Councillor Renwick, undertaken by officers of the County Council.
He went on to refer to the recent Autumn Statement where the announcement of £15m of Levelling Up Funds for Bolsover town centre had been made and also the £1m that had been granted to South Derbyshire District Council for investment in Swadlincote town centre.
In concluding his report, Councillor Lewis referred to Alstom, the Derby company that had recently announced it would be making some redundancies. He reported that the County Council would continue working alongside Derby City in supporting the organisation and ensuring that the affected staff had a pathway to assist with finding future work and that they had the appropriate resources to enable them to access the relevant support. Finally, Councillor Lewis referred to the following week’s Council meeting, which had been arranged in accordance with the constitution to discuss the devolution deal. Briefing meetings would take place over the forthcoming week and all members were encouraged to attend.
In response to a question from Councillor D Greenhalgh in relation to staffing levels and vacancies in the Emergency Planning Team, Councillor Lewis responded that he would seek further clarification as to the status of these roles but recognised that this administration recognises the importance of the emergency planning function that this Authority has.
In response to a question from Councillor E Fordham in relation to the devastating affect that the recent flooding had impacted on residents and businesses in the Chesterfield area, Councillor Lewis confirmed that he had asked the Chairman of the Improvement and Scrutiny Committee for Places to investigate this matter (which would include talking to the various partnership organisations involved) as a matter of urgency.
In response to a question from Councillor K Gillott regarding the recent flooding and the extensive local knowledge that elected members have of their own areas, he suggested that officers of the Council should be signposted to them in the first instance, Councillor Lewis confirmed that conversations would take place with elected members along with other relevant parties.
In response to a question from Councillor S Burfoot regarding the cumulative impact of all new developments in Matlock and what effect it had on the town, Councillor Lewis confirmed that this would be considered as part of the Scrutiny review he referred to earlier.
In response to a question from Councillor M Ford with regard to Alstom and reassurance that when the opportunity arose, as Leader he would lobby hard to get the orders reinstated back into Alstom and many of the other SMEs across the industry, Councillor Lewis agreed that anything that could be done as an administration to support our rail industries would be done.
In response to a question from Councillor Bingham about flooding in the Chesterfield area and the conversations residents had been involved in with the Environment Agency over many years and promises of action that had not materialised, he asked Councillor Lewis if he would liaise with the Environment Agency and get them to do something about this, Councillor Lewis agreed that the residents needed support and this would be picked up as part of the Scrutiny review but in the meantime anything that could be done to assist residents would be helpful.
In response to a question from Councillor R Mihaly regarding the devastation experienced in his constituency caused by the recent flooding and whether he could be assured that the gulley cleaning would be carried out in accordance with the prescribed programme of twice a year, Councillor Lewis confirmed that he would investigate this issue and ensure that it was carried out in accordance with the agreed schedule.