Leader defends council over flood response after MS criticism
Richard Evans, local democracy reporter
A council’s response to flooding caused by Storm Babet has been defended amid claims it was “complete chaos”.
Conwy Council’s leader Cllr Charlie McCoubrey responded to criticism from Aberconwy MS Janet Finch-Saunders in the wake of the severe weather conditions.
The Aberconwy MS said the council needed to work with emergency services to devise a proper strategy and pre-empt future floods in the town.
She claimed some residents resorted to trying to protect homes by placing towels under doors to hold flood water back in the Liddell Park, Oval, and Tre Creuddyn estate area.
She also said other residents were evacuated whilst some were trapped with no means of safe escape.
Cllr McCoubrey said the storm was extreme, affecting all parts of the UK.
“As news reports from across the UK showed, the conditions during Storm Babet were extreme,” he said.
“Emergency service and local authority partners across North Wales met regularly and worked closely throughout the day to ensure a co-ordinated approach to the weather conditions.
“All of our adverse incident plans are available to all partner agencies.
“Teams from our environment, roads, and facilities and housing services were out across the county throughout Friday and overnight into Saturday, with further resources mobilised from first light on Saturday, alongside contractors providing additional support.”
Inspections
He added: “Our teams are continuing the clean-up effort and are carrying out inspections to fully assess the scale of the impact on infrastructure.”
Speaking earlier today Aberconwy MS Janet Finch-Saunders said: “It has been heart-breaking to see residents in a state of distress and feeling completely helpless in the midst of rising water.
“What I witnessed first-hand was complete chaos.
“Even I couldn’t get through to Conwy Council.
“I spoke to a firefighter who was unsure as to where best to be and was informed by North Wales Police that there was no plan to manage an incident like this in Llandudno.
“Many of us remember the 1993 flood.
“We trusted that lessons were learnt so to save the town from such devastation again.
“Clearly, public bodies had taken their eye off the ball and now need to put a flood management plan in place and communicate that to local residents.”
She added: “Everyone in Llandudno should be told what the strategy is should there be a similar flood again.”
Support our Nation today
For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales.
Meanwhile at a Welllshh mans house: “Nah-ah, we need to be able to drive at thirty even in car parks…all this driving at low speeds to save air quality and lives is rubbish its woke madness gone mad!!!!!… get me my Facebook account!…Green energy? Whats wrong good old black energy? We need to open up the pits again….If Jeremy Corbyn comes round here with his communist ULEZ zones I will tell him to do one and vote Leave in the next council elections…”
Unpredictable weather and global warming means this could be the norm. Which council has the pockets to deal with this on a yearly basis. Perhaps the MS needs to flag it up the chain of command that dropping action because big oil is in charge of No10 policy will not be the answer.
Flooding is a nightmare for anyone and potentially is very dangerous but anyone who has moved to or has lived in Llandudno is surely aware that they live in a flood prone town. 1993 was a warning but the whole town is built on what naturally would be marsh between two storm beaches, west and east. So climate change, heavier rain storms, storm surges from the sea with sea level rising slowly will affect this town badly. I like the town but would not move there just because of the potential for trouble over a wide area. Hopefully the council,… Read more »
‘Even I’ says Janet Finch Saunders ‘couldn’t get through to Conwy Council’ which stinks to me of ‘Do you know who I am?’ syndrome. Well she is known for being the MS who stood up in Y Senedd and continued with the earlier de bunked Tory lie that nobody would pay more than £2000 a year for their energy. I am not aware that she was asked to correct the record later for this clear misleading of our Parliament and public or, as I believe to this day, got clean away with it.