The Kent Flood Risk and Water Management Committee met to discuss recent weather events and the responses to them, with a particular focus on the fragility of the water infrastructure. Councillor Wayne Chapman was elected as the new chair of the committee. The committee agreed to invite representatives from the Environment Agency and the Met Office to future meetings to present their data.

Election of Chair

Councillor Wayne Chapman was elected as the chair of the committee, following a proposal from Councillor Martin Paul, which was seconded by Councillor John Finch.

Environment Agency and Met Office Alerts, Warnings and KCC Severe Weather Response Activity

Andy Jeffery, the Head of Resilience and Emergency Planning, presented a report on the Environment Agency and Met Office alerts and warnings, as well as the Kent County Council's (KCC) severe weather response activity. The report highlighted the flash flooding in Dover on 13 June and an amber heat health alert a week later.

A key concern raised was the fragility of the water infrastructure, particularly regarding South East Water and Southern Water. Mr Jeffery drew attention to a previous resolution to request South East Water to attend the committee, following water outages in West Kent and Herne Bay. He noted an increase in water outages over the past three years, with recent incidents in West Kent and Herne Bay, and an overnight outage in Herne Bay due to demand and high temperatures. He clarified that the challenges affect all five water suppliers in Kent, including SES Water, Thames Water and Affinity Water.

Councillor Stuart Heaver asked for more details on the concerns about the fragility of the water infrastructure. Mr Jeffery responded that there had been an increase in water outages, particularly since the significant outages on the Isle of Sheppey in July 2022. He suggested possible causes such as increased demand, population changes and the age of the infrastructure.

Councillor Mike Sole expressed disappointment that there was no introduction to the remit of the committee, and requested that the next meeting include an introduction to the committee's powers and responsibilities.

Councillor Mark Hood, councillor for Tunbridge Division, said that he had hoped that South East Water would be in attendance at the meeting, as Tunbridge had been badly affected by water supply outages. He noted that their response to a subsequent outage in the Borough Green area had been much improved.

Councillor Dom Kent raised concerns about the Environment Agency's flood risk assessment and its impact on the Tunbridge Wells local plan, particularly in relation to Paddock Wood. He asked whether the assessment accounted for new developments that had raised the topography of the area. Mr Jeffery, a KCC member of staff, was unable to answer on behalf of the Environment Agency, but noted that one of the recommendations was to request the Environment Agency to present their data at future meetings.

Councillor Tony Hills pointed out that the Environment Agency flood zones on page 15 of the report were for undefended areas, and that the areas at risk of flooding defended, as shown on page 16, presented a different picture. Mr Jeffery agreed to amend the report for future meetings to clarify this distinction.

The committee agreed to invite representatives from the Environment Agency and the Met Office to future meetings to present their data, as outlined in section 5 of the Environment Agency and Met Office Alerts and Warnings and KCC Severe Weather Response Activity report.

Councillor Tony Hills emphasised the importance of giving the invited organisations enough notice to attend, and Councillor Wayne Chapman assured the committee that they would be contacted in good time.