Councillors are concerned that lessons learned from a Biblical-style downpour that led to hundreds of homes being flooded are in danger of being forgotten.
Heavy rainfall that overwhelmed pipes, sewers, and drains in Milton Keynes in May 2018, caused economic damage to the city totalling an estimated £7million, a meeting heard.
The council carried out a huge review of its response to the floods which saw 1,000 properties affected, and 500 homes flooded from Coffee Hall to Beanhill, Oldbrook, Netherfield, Newport Pagnell and Stoke Goldington.
“We had a report in 2012 after flooding in Lavendon,” said Cllr Peter Geary (Cons, Olney), who was chairing Wednesday’s meeting of the strategic placemaking scrutiny committee.
“That report said the same things as we are saying now. 50 homes flooded in Lavendon but nothing has been done.”
He added that flooding happened in MK in 2016, as well as 2018 and was concerned that the lessons learned will be forgotten.
Cllr Geary was worried that the council will continue to make the same mistakes “again, and again, and again.”
And Cllr Sue Smith, who chairs Woughton Community Council, said there had been flooding in the area three times in the last five years, leaving residents unable to get insurance.
But Nicholas Hannon, the council’s head of environment and waste, said the council has put more resources into preventing flooding. This includes bidding for money from the Environment Agency.
And Cllr Emily Darlington (Lab, Bletchley East), the council’s elected head of public realm, said the council has created a team of people who work closely with colleagues in Cambridge. “That’s different to 2012,” she said.
An independent review of flooding made 55 recommendations, including holding an emergency exercise. Mr Hannon said that this would be happening in June this year.
Councillors also said residents had to play their part.
Cllr Paul Williams (Lab, Central MK) said: “I have concerns that a lot of former council houses have not been maintained, with guttering overgrown. I worry how the council deals with that.
“Driveways have been paved over and gullies have been taken out, which puts the problems of flooding on to neighbours.
“I worry about Oldbrook in particular because I am not seeing concrete solutions as yet.”
Cllr Darlington said the council wants to increase “community resilience” to flooding, which includes things that home owners can do.
“All residents need to understand that when they pave over their front garden they are having an impact in putting themselves or their neighbours at risk,” she said.
But Cllr George Bowyer (Cons, Newport North & Hanslope) said residents in Stoke Goldington had been reluctant to get involved because it might affect the value of their properties.
“People do not want to generate publicity over flooding. It’s not just about insurance, but the value of properties,” he said. “People aren’t joining in.”
He claimed this was because some people had an “I’m alright, Jack” attitude, which he said was a “real problem”.
The committee agreed to recommend that the issue is monitored.
