Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department last met with (a) Tamworth Borough Council, (b) Staffordshire County Council and (c) Lichfield District Council to discuss flood preparedness.

The Environment Agency works on plans for flood preparedness and resilience with all Category 1 and 2 responders as part of the Staffordshire Local Resilience Forum (LRF). The membership includes the Environment Agency, Staffordshire County Council, Tamworth Borough Council and Lichfield District Council.

The LRF has regular formal meetings at a Strategic and Tactical level, Staffordshire Civil Contingencies Unit (CCU) provide the Secretariat and coordination.

The dates for the most recent and next planned LRF meetings:

Strategic Group

• 01 December 2023
• 01 March 2024

Tactical Group

• 09 November 2023
• 08 February 2024

The Environment Agency also met with Staffordshire CCU Emergency Planners to influence tactical flood plan guidance for all Districts and Boroughs on 15 November 2023.

During flood incidents all LRF members are invited to attend Flood Advisory Service calls arranged by the Environment Agency to be informed of likely flood impacts. A Flood Advisory Service call was held for Staffordshire LRF members on 02 Jan 2024.

The Environment Agency in its strategic overview role for flood risk, meets with Staffordshire County Council formally at least monthly, as Lead Local Flood Authority for the county, representing Boroughs and Districts. There was a meeting between the Environment Agency and Staffordshire County Council on 19 January 2024.

In addition to its work via Staffordshire County Council, the Environment Agency meets directly with Borough and District Councils as required.

There was a meeting with Tamworth Borough Council in July 2023 to discuss progressing a potential flood risk management scheme in the area.