The Labour Party in Haltemprice and Howden along, with Cllr. Josh Newlove who represents the Tranby Ward on East Riding of Yorkshire Council have been seeking answers to a number of pressing issues regarding the 2007’s flooding in the region and the work undertaken by ERYC in the aftermath of this traumatic event for the whole community.
We have found ERYC’s responses unclear and contradictory.
Cottingham Flood Action Group Chair Alex Duke asked a specific question regarding the National Flooding Ombudsman’s conclusion that ERYC were guilty of “maladministration” because they had failed to undertake a statutory Flood Risk Assessment on the Glenhaven Glasshouse project near Cottingham at the full Council Meeting in October last year. The official minutes of that meeting which are the public’s only way of monitoring Council business if they can’t be in the public gallery simply state, “A member of the public asked a question and Cllr Parnaby responded”.
How is this open and transparent local democracy?
On the specific issue of the Glenhaven Glasshouse project, criticised by the Ombudsman, the results are damning for the Tory led ERYC, and stand as an example of the inertia at the heart of our local democracy.
The project covers 8.6 hectares of land in total. The requirement for a full flood risk assessment from the Council is 4.5 hectares under a ruling known as PPG 225. No such assessment took place.
In Dec 2010 the Ombudsman issued her interim report into the 2007 flood. Paragraph 27 of the report stated that ERYC had “completed acts of maladministration” regarding the non-completion of flood risk assessments.
The final report in 2011 clearly states that, “ERYC cannot abdicate responsibility for such assessments to other agencies including Yorkshire Water.”
These are serious conclusions. If the Tory Council Leader Stephen Parnaby cannot provide an answer in the forum of the Council Chamber, maybe he would care to do so here.
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