Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP chaired his regular annual flooding meeting at Cotswold District Council in Cirencester. At this meeting it was announced that a Cirencester Flood Partnership Group will be formed which will be composed of officials from Cotswold District Council, Gloucestershire County Council, Thames Water and the Environment Agency. This is excellent news as it shows all the major agencies working well together to benefit the Cotswolds. At the meeting it was announced that the major bund scheme to the north of Cirencester to hold up water in extreme flooding conditions has been abandoned in favour of other more effective small-scale schemes.

A number of small scale and other more localised flooding issues were raised. Mr Clifton-Brown was dismayed to that no progress had been made on the ownership of the Shorncote ditch and ongoing maintenance problems to resolve flooding in Siddington and the Blore Homes' development.

The MP has asked for quarterly reports and an update on this matter from the Cirencester Flood Partnership Group.

Commenting after the meeting Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP said: “All in all, flood prevention work is proceeding well; with all the agencies working much more closely together, but we must always be vigilant on flooding matters to avoid a repeat of years such as 2007 and 2013 when excess rainfall occurred.”

The next Cirencester flood meeting will take place on 23 November 2018.

Photo: L-R Cllr Sue Coakley, Geoffrey Clifton-Brown and Cllr Shaun Parsons