The need for more government funding

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12 December 2012

We spent this morning meeting with representatives of the Environment Agency, the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, County Council, Oxford City Council and others. We hosted a meeting with these partners in July, to discuss what can be done to help further reduce flood risk in the Oxford area, and today’s meeting was the follow-up.
The meeting was positive and forward-looking. But while all involved want to see progress, and variously have the skills, knowledge and dedication to achieve it, what is sorely lacking is sufficient central government funding.
Parts of the Oxford Flood Strategy, and several works proposed by ourselves, have been implemented already. These helped in the recent flooding. Getting more done is a long slow process.

We’ll do what we can to keeping flooding high on the political agenda.

MPs visit flooded areas

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30 November 2012

Our MPs, Andrew Smith and Nicola Blackwood, have visited flooded areas to see the problems and how defences were working.

Oxford East MP Andrew Smith said: ‘The Environment Agency, City Council and Emergency Services have done a good job.  I saw for myself the effectiveness of the barrier by Hinksey Lake and the pumping operation in Vicarage Road, where we had 3 feet of water in 2007. The measures pressed for by the Oxford Flood Alliance and put in place have made a big difference; but it is all still on a knife-edge, and we must all keep up the pressure for more works to reduce the risks still further’.

Nicola Blackwood, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, visited areas on the Botley Road and in South Hinksey before moving on  to Abingdon. She saw flood defences working well at Bullstake Close, Botley Road. In sharp contrast, in South Hinksey there was flooding of seven houses, with water which seems very likely to have been contaminated by overflowing sewers. Ms Blackwood is taking up this and other issues on behalf of residents.
Sewers and/or surface water systems appear to have been overloaded too in the Grandpont area, and parts at least of the Botley Road area. This is of great concern and demands urgent investigation and remedy.

Photos of the present floods

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29 November 2012

Floods have arrived in Oxford again, for the fourth time in 12 years. About the only good thing about floods is that they make excellent subjects for photos – here are some great ones.
https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/sredir?uname=100616118436869252453&target=ALBUM&id=5815596623655746721&authkey=Gv1sRgCLiB19a95JOprwE&feat=email

Flooding on the way AGAIN? – government funding sorely needed

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24 November 2012

Today we’re watching river levels rise and fields flooding; it‘s still raining and more is forecast. Will properties flood again?

The Oxford Flood Strategy flood prevention scheme, produced by the Environment Agency after years of work, was going to cost £150 million. The government’s new partnership funding scheme, introduced subsequently, would provide 7% of the money required. 93%, about £140 million, would have to come from the County, the City, the Vale, businesses, and residents. That’s totally unrealistic.

Every flood costs a huge amount. Only government has sufficient capital to invest to stop this recurring problem. But the government doesn’t seem to appreciate that money spent on flood defences is money exceedingly well spent. In economic terms alone it’s TEN TIMES better value than the controversial HS2 rail scheme.

Changing weather patterns look set to make flooding more and more common. Throughout Holland defences are designed to limit flooding to once in 1000 years or better. The Oxford Flood Strategy offered 1 in 75-100 year protection; at present we have almost none.

This country could afford adequate flood defences if the political will were there. The government must grasp the issue, supplement the present funding scheme, and invest serious money. Failure to do so will cost far, far more. And that’s not counting the human misery.

OFA Annual Public Meeting, 2012

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9 November 2012

We held our fifth Annual Public Meeting last night. Each year we wonder if attendance will drop off as we get further from the last flood. That’s 5 years ago, but again we had an excellent turnout. We work by public consent, so it’s important to us that we have strong public support – we’re ready to go for another year. We were delighted to welcome both our local MPs, Nicola Blackwood and Andrew Smith, and Rodney Rose, Deputy Leader of the County Council, who has responsibility for flooding. The County is now the Lead Local Flood Authority and Rodney Rose represents the County on the important DEFRA Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee.
Thank you to everybody who came.

Munday’s bridge, 22 Sept 2012

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22 September 2012

Thames Water is about to begin work to sort out the area of Munday’s bridge under the railway in Kennington. As well as dealing with local flooding in Kennington, the work will allow the whole western floodplain to drain better, to the benefit of all in our area upstream. All credit, and thanks, to Thames Water for doing this substantial and important work. See http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/news/yourtown/oxford/9883845.Flood_prevention_scheme_goes_on_show/

We have been concerned about this area since we formed in 2007. That concern arose from the special local knowledge of John Mastroddi, a founder member of OFA’s Steering Group, who had been concerned for many years before that. His garden backs onto the site, although his house has never flooded. The local flooded community owes a debt to John and his wife, and their neighbours, for the sacrifices they are making so this work can be done: see our recent letter to the Oxford Times:
http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/forum/letters/9928463.Sacrifices_to_save_flood_misery/

Maintenance

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15 September 2012

The main waterways in the western flood plain, Hinksey Stream, Drain, Bulstake Stream etc. have been cleared of vegetation and a good deal of silt by the EA in the past few years. Clearly, to make the most of them and the new associated structures (such as the large new flood culverts under the railway access road) they need to be kept clear. We have already set up a monitoring system, but it is for dealing with local problems or isolated matters such as fallen trees, see Maintenance. For longer stretches of weed and silt, we need a different approach. We will talk to our partners – the Environment Agency, Oxford City and the Oxford Area Flood Partnership, to see how we can best ensure proper maintenance in the years ahead. We have begun this, and will be pursuing it in the coming weeks and months. We may be able to report some progress by our Annual Public Meeting in November – let’s hope so anyway!

An key meeting planned

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10 July 2012

OFA is hosting a meeting with our partners, to develop proposals for further flood relief for Oxford

There have been significant changes in recent months in the way flood risk management is funded. Partners are being encouraged to work together to find cost effective solutions and to tackle all types of flood risk in a joined up way.  Oxford had been identified as a priority area for attention based on the potential number of homes at significant risk. OFA has learned that the Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC) is keen to promote flood risk management measures in areas such as Oxford and that funding to assist in the development of schemes is potentially available.
The Committee, which approves the programme of schemes in the Thames region, has invited proposals large or small where the cost-benefit analysis can be shown to be positive. The Committee is receptive to proposals from the lead local flood authority, which for Oxford is Oxfordshire County Council, to understand and address surface water risks and the relationship with river flooding. It is also interested in re-examining work undertaken as part of the Oxford Flood Risk Management Strategy to establish whether any of the works can be taken forward under the new funding regime.  Collaboration between local agencies and cost sharing are being encouraged under new government rules.
In response to this opportunity OFA has convened a meeting of the County, City and Vale Councils, the Environment Agency and Network Rail to discuss potential schemes which might be put forward. The meeting will take place on 27 July in South Hinksey.
A considerable amount of time and money went into modelling the aborted £100m Oxford Flood Risk Management Scheme. We believe elements of this scheme could be turned into fundable proposals. Also a number of measures suggested by OFA over the last few years could be taken up.
We have had a very positive response from the various local bodies to the idea of a meeting and are looking forward to working with them. We will keep you informed of the outcomes of the meeting.