Date of meeting: 14 December 2023

Proposer: Councillor Tim Rowkins

Seconder: Councillor Trevor Muten

Ward(s) affected: All

Notice of Motion

Labour Group Amendment

That deletions are made as shown with ~~strikethrough~~ below and additional recommendations are added as shown in bold italics below:

This Council:

1) Notes that blocked gullies and drains are leading to significant flooding issues within our communities when there is heavy rainfall and that this is causing great difficulty for many residents;

2) Notes that the costs associated with maintaining drains and gullies has substantially increased in recent years due to a number of factors, including inflation, cost of fuel, and workforce shortages post-Brexit

3) Notes that, due to central government cuts, the budgets available for clearing and maintaining gullies and drains has remained static for many years, resulting in a real-terms cut of around 50%.

4) Notes that the ~~inability for temporary~~ costs of suspended parking ~~restrictions~~ in roads where gullies and drains are due to be cleared, or the moving of vehicles parked over gullies and drains means that some are not cleared when attended ~~leads to them not being cleared for years at a time~~, for example Nevill Close missed the last two scheduled clearances in September 2021 and March 2023 due to parked cars and was not scheduled for another clearance until September 2024;

5) ~~Acknowledges that there are far too many blocked drains and gullies, with around 800 identified across Brighton and Hove in 2022~~.

This counciltherefore resolves to:

6) Have an officer report brought to the next Transport and Sustainability Committee outlining an action plan to improve and increase the clearing of blocked gullies and drains across Brighton and Hove, subject to funding.

7) Ensure that in the next update report to Transport and Sustainability committee, officers detail the approach to prioritising high-risk areas for regular clearance; the financial implications of the ongoing maintenance and clearing programme; and how the council will work collaboratively with Southern Water to alleviate pressure on the system through deployment of SuDS at strategic locations

Proposed by: Cllr Tim Rowkins Seconded by: Cllr Trevor Muten

Recommendations to read if carried:

This Council:

1) Notes that blocked gullies and drains are leading to significant flooding issues within our communities when there is heavy rainfall and that this is causing great difficulty for many residents;

3) Notes that, due to central government cuts, the budgets available for clearing and maintaining gullies and drains has remained static for many years, resulting in a real-terms cut of around 50%.

4) Notes that the costs of suspended parking in roads where gullies and drains are due to be cleared, or the moving of vehicles parked over gullies and drains means that some are not cleared when attended for example Nevill Close missed the last two scheduled clearances in September 2021 and March 2023 due to parked cars and was not scheduled for another clearance until September 2024;

This counciltherefore resolves to:

5) Have an officer report brought to the next Transport and Sustainability Committee outlining an action plan to improve and increase the clearing of blocked gullies and drains across Brighton and Hove, subject to funding.

6) Ensure that in the next update report to Transport and Sustainability committee, officers detail the approach to prioritising high-risk areas for regular clearance; the financial implications of the ongoing maintenance and clearing programme; and how the council will work collaboratively with Southern Water to alleviate pressure on the system through deployment of SuDS at strategic locations.

Proposed by: Cllr Tim Rowkins Seconded by: Cllr Trevor Muten