A panel set up by Rutland County Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee has launched a county-wide survey to gather information about recent flooding events.

Storm Babet in October 2023 and Storm Henk in January 2024 caused widespread disruption across the UK and led to flooding of roads and buildings in Rutland.

A Special Meeting of Rutland County Council was held on 18 January, in response to Storm Henk, and requested that the Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee further investigate and report back on the issue of flooding.

Having accepted this work, Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee met again in February and appointed Councillor Lucy Stephenson as Chair of a panel that will gather evidence to investigate Rutland's response to both floods. The aim is to understand what can be learned to help inform the County's collective response to future flood events – making recommendations, where appropriate.

As part of this work, residents and businesses are being invited to share their experiences of the recent winter floods by completing a short online survey on the Council's website. This survey is being run alongside a Section 19 investigation – triggered by the number of Rutland properties flooded due to Storm Henk – and will help to inform recommendations that can be made to Cabinet and Full Council. 

Membership of the Flood Evidence Panel is as follows:

• Cllr Lucy Stephenson (Chair)
• Cllr Nick Begy
• Cllr Andrew Brown
• Cllr Mark Chatfield
• Cllr Hannah Edwards
• Cllr Smantha Harvey
• Cllr Kiloran Heckels
• Cllr Karen Payne
• Cllr Raymond Payne
• Cllr Rosemary Powell
• Cllr Ramsay Ross

Cllr Lucy Stephenson, Chair of the Flood Evidence Pannel, said: "The recent flood events have understandably given rise to concern. It's imperative that, as a County, we are prepared to manage our response as effectively as possible while also being clear how the impact of future flood events can be mitigated against. We are working at pace and are now calling on residents, businesses and key partners to share their experiences and views to shape recommendations that will have a positive impact on flood management in Rutland."

The survey to gather information and comments concerning recent flooding issues is now live and will run until 5.00pm on Wednesday 27 March 2024. Residents and businesses can take part online.

Anyone without internet access can take part in the survey by calling: 01572 722 577. Paper copies of the survey can also be collected from local libraries and returned there, once complete.

Cllr Chrisine Wise, Cabinet Member for Environment and Communities at Rutland County Council, said: "January's floods had a serious impact on the County and were largely unprecedented, in terms of the number of Rutland properties damaged internally. This has triggered the need for an expert-led Section 19 investigation that will look at the causes of Storm Henk flooding. Together with our Scrutiny Committee investigation, this will help to inform how the County manages and prepares for similar events in the future. I would encourage all those affected by the recent flooding to take part and share their experiences."

Information and advice about how to prepare and respond to flooding is available on Rutland County Council's website, by visiting the RCC website. This includes details of how to apply for a Council Tax discount if you were forced to leave your home because of internal flooding caused by Storm Babet or Storm Henk. The deadline to apply for this support is 15 March 2024.