Senior councillors in Leeds will discuss the work carried out to tackle flooding caused by Storm Eva, which hit Kirkstall and other parts of Leeds on Boxing Day.
The council’s executive board will review actions taken since Boxing Day including lessons learned and how the council’s response systems could be improved.
The board, which meets at the Civic Hall tomorrow, will also be asked to formally close the dedicated recovery phase of the work the council has carried out.
The report, which can be read in full here, says the council has now reviewed its emergency and on-call procedures, while it is also working to provide greater clarity on its sandbag policy.
Greater use of social media and other communications channels in the event of a similar emergency is also being explored and put in place, along with ways to improve partnership working with other agencies and government departments.
Council leader Judith Blake said:
“As we near the one-year anniversary of the awful impact of Storm Eva on our city and region, it is important to look back and reflect on what happened, what we can learn from it and also how the city needs to keep working together to do everything we can to make sure it is never repeated.
“The response from the people of Leeds in terms of residents, businesses and community groups helping out working alongside the council and other agencies continues to be fantastic. We know some of our residents and businesses are still suffering almost 12 months on, and that is why it is vital we continue to offer support and to press for comprehensive flood measures to be put in place as soon as possible.”
The council says it is working closely with the Environment Agency on cleaning up the River Aire, while the first phase of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme on the river in the city centre is due for completion in late spring 2017.
Planning work is continuing on the next phase, including measures for the Kirkstall corridor which was badly hit by the floods at Christmas.
Volunteers have also organised clean ups along the river in Kirkstall, the most recent clean up on Saturday.
What a difference in 2hrs! Go @teamkirkstall this path was 1/3 as wide about 2 hrs ago-now wide enough for 3 bikes t cycle aside each other! pic.twitter.com/VeUqbopdpW
— Open Source Arts (@Opensourceleeds) October 15, 2016
What do you think of the council’s response to the floods? Have your say in the comments section below.
