Local failures of democracy

Cllr Gittins will confirm that CWAC and the Environment Agency (EA) knew that the secondary legislation regulating the EA’s design and build of flood defences did not require owners of drains that discharged below the expected flood level to cap them.

The EA wrote to United Utilities asking them to cap these drain prior to, and after, the 2019 flood in Northwich. United Utilities did not cap them until after the 2021 flood. Yet CWAC and the EA acknowledge that they could have used their value for money duty to have these drains capped when the original Northwich flood scheme was being designed. Cllr Gittins absurdly excuses CWAC and the EA on the grounds that partnership working means that CWAC will not hold another partner responsible for mistakes. That absurdity is reinforced by neither CWAC officers or the EA drawing the attention of the CWAC C’ee that investigated these floods to the duff legislation or the value for money duty. This is a failure of democracy.

A second failure of democracy led to the debt at Barron’s Quay. CWAC knew that the conditions of the 2003 Local Government Act to allow borrowing for such schemes were too lax. The Council has not liaised with the Lords’ C’ee on secondary legislation to better draw Government’s attention to correct this fault.

Vote independent Charlton for a motion to CWAC

Calling on Government to remedy current duff secondary legislation and legislate

remedies for future duff secondary legislation when identified.