Leader has 'huge sympathy' for victims - but Central Beds Council rejects calls for Leighton Buzzard public meeting on flooding

The town council recently wrote to leader of CBC, Councillor Adam Zerny, inviting the authority to take part in such a meeting "at the earliest convenience" - and give residents and businesses an opportunity to speak and share their stories.

It was hoped that Councillor Zerny would accept, and that other responsible agenices – such as the Environment Agency and Internal Drainage Board – could then be invited. The town council had even offered to organise a venue for the meeting.

But while he has declined the offer, Councillor Zerny says that he has a "huge amount of sympathy" for anyone affected, that the council is looking into 1,000 reports of flooding from across Central Bedfordshire, and that there are upcoming meetings at CBC itself which will be focussed on flooding.

He said: "People rightly expect us to take these reports seriously, and we will work alongside the various organisations involved in flood defence and preparation to look at what more can be done.

"I visited Leighton Buzzard during the flooding and met with residents, local volunteers, town councillors and the local MP, to see first hand how it affected the community there. I also met with the government minister for Water and Flooding, Emma Hardy, to highlight the local impact."

Leighton Buzzard was hit by heavy rainfall during the week beginning Sunday, September 23, and around 50 properties are believed to have been flooded.

Properties were affected in Hydrus Drive, Carina Drive, Hockliffe Road, Waterdell and Lovent Drive – and it is understood that many more areas were “very close” to being flooded in their homes. Residents in Woodman Close, Brookside Walk, and Willowbank Walk said they had flood water “lapping against their homes”, with the brook flooding “on both sides” for the first time.

Across Central Bedfordshire, areas including Dunstable, Tempsford, Shefford, Sandy, and Marston Moretaine were badly affected. And National Highways teams cleared 72 million litres of water from the A421.

Councillor Zerny added: "CBC will be seeking to understand exactly what has happened across more than 30 areas which have been flooded.

"We strongly encourage town councils to run events to allow residents to feed into this information gathering. It is entirely possible council officers will then visit locations based upon some of this feedback."

However, the town council says that "not having one of the principal agencies present" would "defeat the purpose" of calling a meeting.

A Leighton-Linslade Town Council spokesman, said: “We understand the wish by residents and especially those directly affected by the recent flooding events in Leighton Buzzard for there to be a public meeting for them to air their views, concerns and seek answers from those in authority.

"Many of those same residents attended a town council meeting at Astral Park and were advised that the statutory responsibility for managing and responding to flooding rests with the principal authority namely Central Bedfordshire Council and not the town council.

"The town council has lobbied CBC in their statutory capacity (Flood Water and Management Act 2010) to call a public meeting to update residents on how they, the Environment Agency and Internal Drainage Board have responded to the immediate crisis and what future measures are to be put in place to mitigate against further flooding.

"CBC has made clear that it has no present intention of either calling or indeed attending a public meeting – a decision which the town council cannot change.

"Tackling flooding requires multi-agency buy-in from CBC, the Environment Agency as well as the Internal Drainage Board. To not have one of the principal agencies present would defeat the purpose in calling a meeting. This would leave residents no clearer on what has and will be done.

"The town council will continue to lobby CBC to call for a meeting. We would also urge residents to contact Alex Mayer MP and request the same from her”.

Meanwhile CBC is also encouraging people to complete the Environment Agency’s survey via its website. "This will ensure we don't miss anything", explained Councillor Zerny. “In the summer, we held a flooding summit which brought together all the organisations involved in flood defence and preparation.

"This will also be discussed at a public scrutiny meeting in November and a further summit will take place in the coming months to cover the recent flooding and other associated developments. Meanwhile, I urge anyone affected to check the information on ‘what to do if you’ve been flooded’ on the council website.”

Neil Siddle, a Waterdell resident, said: "What plans do CBC have in place to prevent the future flooding of peoples homes in the Clipstone Brook area of Leighton Buzzard?

"We know that as residents we have been ignored regarding the flooding in the past and personally I don't really want years spent on meetings to discuss what happened in September and January this year. If CBC does have a plan, then great – let's see it."