Council struggles to appoint flood officer

A council says it has struggled to recruit a flood officer following Storm Henk due to other organisations offering better pay.

The storm battered the UK in January and brought widespread flooding across the East Midlands.

Rutland County Council set up a scrutiny evidence panel in the aftermath, which made 14 recommendations including appointing a flood officer to help improve flood responses in the county in the future.

However, Christine Wise, cabinet member for environment, said the authority had "struck difficulties" in finding a person for the role as other consultancies in the country were offering "considerably more income".

The flooding evidence panel was set up in January with the intention of discovering what action agencies had taken and how a future flood response could be improved, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The panel's 14 recommendations included reviewing all policies that relate to flood management and emergency planning, that all parishes have their own emergency plan and that identified high risk areas have an enhanced inspection regime.

Leader of the council's Conservative group, Lucy Stephenson, who led the panel, told a full council meeting on Thursday that all the recommendations were achievable, adding: "There is no point putting in recommendations that there is neither funding for, nor the capacity to deliver."

Ms Wise said the authority was struggling to find a flooding officer, adding: "It is under way, the flood officer appointment, but we have struck difficulties.

"Unfortunately we weren't the only area of Great Britain that had flooding.

"So every consultancy in the country has been out appointing all the best flood officers at considerably more income than as a local authority we can offer."

She added the position had been re-advertised.

Ramsay Ross, chairman of the scrutiny committee, said it was important "low cost" recommendations made by the evidence panel were adopted, as the government would probably prioritise funding for areas that were at greater risk of flooding damage.

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