Agenda item

Consider report by Chief Financial Officer and Depute Chief Executive – Place providing an update on the extent of damage caused by recent winter storms and the measures being taken and required to rectify this damage in a timely fashion that fits with the Government’s Bellwin Scheme.   (Copy attached.)

There had been circulated copies of a report by the Chief Financial Officer and the Depute Chief Executive - Place providing an update on the extent of damage caused by recent winter storms and the measures being taken and required to rectify this damage in a timely fashion which fitted with the Government’s Bellwin Scheme.   Since the start of December 2015 the Council’s Emergency Planning Bunker had been open 23 days, including eight consecutive days from 3 to 10 December 2015, to plan and respond to weather events.  Four ‘named storms’ had affected the area to varying degrees since the start of December 2015 – Desmond, Frank, Gertrude and a further damaging unnamed storm on 27January 2016.  During the period a total of 96 flood warnings were issued by SEPA, including five Severe Flood Warnings – issued only where there was danger to life.  Evacuations were undertaken in Hawick (2), Peebles, Jedburgh and Newcastleton.    In total, several hundred homes were evacuated during this period. The storms had caused widespread damage across the Scottish Borders and created a large volume of remedial works which needed to take place on the Council’s infra-structure.   This report outlined the key features of the Bellwin Scheme and its relevance to these major flooding events caused by storms Desmond, Frank and other flooding so far this financial year; outlined the work that had been done to date in responding to the initial aftermath of storm damage and actions taken to date.  Critically, the report also outlined the extent of remedial works that still needed to be undertaken and the measures that would be required to support completion of these works within the Bellwin timeframe.   It was also important to note that under the Bellwin Scheme the Local Authority had to meet the first portion of costs equivalent to 0.2% of the Local Authority’s total net revenue budget.  In the case of Scottish Borders Council, this equated to £508k that would have to be met from reserves with the Bellwin Scheme picking up all eligible costs beyond this level.  It was noted that a further report covering progress with the flood assistance for businesses and houses was being prepared and would be reported separately to Committee.    Members were advised that the Bellwin Scheme had been extended to 4 months.  In response to a concern about part of a wall bordering the River Teviot when it was stated that Council Officers had inspected the wall and said it was safe but residents still considered the wall to be unsafe, the Depute Director – Place undertook to ensure that a more detailed response in relation to the inspection of the wall be issued by Officers.     In response to questions regarding three problem areas of the River Tweed near Walkerburn and Innerleithen,  the Depute Chief Executive – Place  advised that engineers could give a full response. A comment was made that failure to maintain the clearance of roadside ditches created a core problem in relation to flooding on roadsides and it was suggested that funding could be set aside in the Council’s budget for local farmers to undertake this work and the Depute Director – Place undertook to investigate this.  

DECISION

AGREED

(a)        to note the extent and costs of works undertaken to date in response to the three major flooding weather events;

(b)       to note the scale and extent of works that remained to be done to re-instate a wide range of damaged Borders infrastructure;

(c)        that wherever possible, discretionary Council spending was delayed until  the 2016/17 financial year to free up internal Neighbourhood Services Roads and SBc Contracts capacity to concentrate on Bellwin Scheme related works; and

(d)       that £508K from General Reserves would be required as the Council’s contribution towards flooding costs as per the Bellwin guidelines.