As part of the new governance arrangements at Maidstone Borough Council, we now have an Overview and Scrutiny Committee. This committee can review decisions by the Executive, as well as identify priority areas to review, working with other agencies and government organisations.
One of the areas I asked committee colleagues to investigate was Water Management Strategy. Why is this important? Well here are just some of the recent issues residents can face:
- leaks that are not repaired for several weeks (leading to larger repairs being needed on the highway);
- lack of mapping of soakaways. Where these were built into estates that were built decades ago, we now find when new extensions or alterations are made, these can be removed without understanding the impact on the local area;
- need for support for residents in dealing with shared gullies that run under the properties of a whole road of neighbours, as if one area gets blocked, flooding can occur elsewhere;
- ensuring sustainable drainage systems on new builds are properly checked to avoid issues for neighbours;
- protection of waterways from spills;
- avoiding overloading existing drainage systems by connecting guttering on new build houses to water butts or into green areas.
In the meantime, I continue to follow up as a ward councillor on many of these issues for residents. But I hope to see greater support for residents going forward in tackling these issues. As our climate changes, we will need to use and manage water wisely.
For more information on this committee's work, visit:
https://maidstone.gov.uk/home/primary-services/council-and-democracy/pr…