Reform UK scraps Lincolnshire County Council’s flood and water management scrutiny committee

Reform UK has scrapped a flooding committee on its first day in charge at Lincolnshire County Council, despite pleas from other parties to save it.

The new administration said the change would save money and simplify the council without harming efforts to fight flooding.

The flood and water management scrutiny committee was set up to let councillors hold bodies such as Anglian Water, the Environment Agency and Internal Drainage Boards to account.

Flooding will now sit within the environment committee, which already deals with issues such as waste and pollution, and those groups won’t automatically be invited.

It will now meet eight times per year instead of four.

Opposition councillors described the change as a “downgrade” which meant flooding would be put on the back-burner and partnerships would be damaging.

Coun Ian Carrington (Con) said: “Flooding isn’t just about technical solutions, it requires a web of complex relationships to work better. Those are forged and sustained in this committee.

“Abolishing it will reduce co-operation and silence voices which should be heard.”

Labour group leader Coun Karen Lee described the change as ‘reckless, foolhardy and wrong’.

Independent leader Coun Phil Dilks said even more dedicated time was needed, not less.

Some councillors remarked that it was unusual for Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats and Independents to all agree on the same issue.

Coun Lindsey Cawrey (Con) said: “This proposal made out of inexperience, although there are good intentions.

“Please don’t disagree because we’re the opposition, listen because we have had many years of waking up at 3am to calls about flooding.”

Lincolnshire suffered some of the worst flooding in its history during from deluges in Storm Babet and Henk, along with fresh flooding in January.

Reform’s Councillor Danny Brookes, who takes over the portfolio for environment, insisted: “This is an upgrade, not a downgrade. Existing partnerships maintained and enhanced.”

New leader Sean Matthews (Ref) promised the new administration would work “longer and harder on flooding than ever before.”

“Whether you think it’s man-made or a natural cycle of events, we won’t neglect flooding. We were elected on a mandate of reducing waste and simplifying the council, and this will do that.”

An amendment to stop the change was defeated by along party lines, with all Reform members against and all opposition councillors voting in favour.