Flooding
You will be aware that many areas of the county have unfortunately been severely hit with flooding again in the last couple of days. We currently have reports of over 200 homes being flooded internally in Leicestershire alone and the number is continuing to rise steeply as reports come in.
As you know, many agencies are responsible for managing different sources of flooding. Our role as the Lead Local Flood Authority is to bring all these responsible flood agencies together to better understand what happened and identify actions and responsible bodies. We are meeting frequently with all relevant flood agencies as the flooding situation develops.
The Lead Local Flood Authority is required to formally investigate flood incidents. We have specific criteria for formal investigations (internal property flooding etc) and will now be looking to prioritise that list for investigations to be undertaken. Given that we are still receiving information and the significant extent of the flooding, this prioritisation will take some time and the investigations themselves can often be complex involving many different parties (Environment Agency, Severn Trent Water, riparian owners, Highways etc). Once we have an idea of the extent of the work we will need to consider how we best resource and programme this given we will be dealing with an unprecedented demand for flood related investigation work. We will however do our best to get through this as quickly as we can taking into account an already high backlog of work still remaining from the effects of Storm Henk in January 2025 last year.
Flooding is devastating and we are working hard to keep our communities safe but the reality is that the changes we are seeing to our climate, and more protracted, intense rainfall, mean we will see more instances of flooding. Unfortunately, for some areas it is likely that there will be no solution or the solution is unaffordable, therefore as communities we will need to become more resilient when flooding happens and for many that will mean ensuring they take action to make their own property flood resilient. Some of the information signposted above will be helpful in doing that, and particularly for those who live in identified flood risk areas.At the current time around 50 roads across the county remain closed, we will continue to monitor and lift closures as soon as feasible.
We will keep you updated.
Useful information
- We’re encouraging people to share reports of flooded property online: www.leicestershire.gov.uk/report-a-flood
More information which might be helpful to share with your communities is available on Leicestershire County Council’s website:
- Flooding – https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/environment-and-planning/flooding-and-drainage
- Staying warm and well – https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/winter-weather/stay-well-this-winter
- Gritting and travel – https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/winter-weather/gritting-and-travel-this-winter
- Guidance on ‘Before, During and After a Flood’ is attached to help residents and businesses prepare for or respond to flooding. Further information is available at https://www.gov.uk/help-during-flood including what to do during and after flooding. Should anyone still need to vacate homes as a result of the flooding and require some support, please inform us so that we can forward this on, as LLR Prepared (the Local Resilience Forum for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland) may be able to provide some support.
- If applicable, residents/businesses can consider Flood Re’s ‘Build Back Better’ scheme, which aims to reduce the cost and impact of future floods by including property resilience measures as part of flood repairs. Further information is available via their website: https://www.floodre.co.uk/buildbackbetter/.
- The National Flood Forum also provide guidance and support for people affected by flooding. Flood Assist are a flood insurance specialist who are also able to provide some assistance, further details and contact information are available at https://floodassist.co.uk/
- Anyone struggling to cope may wish to contact the British Red Cross who have trained staff and volunteers who can help talk about any difficulties. They can be contacted by calling 0808 196 3651 or visiting https://www.redcross.org.uk/get-help/prepare-for-emergencies/how-to-prepare-for-floods-and-flooding
Welcome to Whetstone Parish Council’s Official Website
THE OFFICE OF THE PARISH COUNCIL IS OPEN FOR NORMAL BUSINESS. OUR MEETING ROOMS ARE ALSO OPEN.
THE DOOR IS LOCKED WHEN NO ROOM USERS ARE IN THE BUILDING FOR SECURITY AND LONE WORKING PURPOSES. PLEASE KNOCK ON THE DOOR DURING OPENING HOURS. SOMETIMES, THE OFFICE IS UNATTENDED DUE TO BUSINESS BEING CARRIED OUT THROUGHOUT THE PARISH.
PLEASE RING THE OFFICE ON 0116 2751987 AND LEAVE A MESSAGE AND WE WILL GET BACK TO YOU AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
OUR CONTACT DETAILS ARE BELOW
LEE BRECKON – CLERK OF THE COUNCIL , COUNCIL OFFICES, CEMETERY ROAD, WHETSTONE, LEICESTER. LE8 6LL
TELEPHONE (0116) 2751987 EMAIL :
WWW.WHETSTONEPARISHCOUNCIL.GOV.UK
The Council Office is normally open 9.00 a.m till 4.00 p.m Monday to Thursday and 9 a.m till 1 p.m on Friday, with an answer phone service at other times, telephone 0116 2751987. The Parish Council usually meet on the fourth Thursday of every month at 7.30 p.m (always check this site or Notice Boards for any alterations) at the Council Offices. Parishioners are more than welcome to attend to discuss a specific item on the agenda, or you wish to alert or discuss with Council a matter relating to Whetstone you think is of importance, or you just wish to see Council in operation. If you do wish to speak on a matter or raise a new issue please contact the Clerk who can inform you of the protocol. If you are not able to attend, written, telephone or e-mail comments are also welcomed.
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VILLAGE ISSUES
Many of the telephone calls to the Parish Council Offices concern incidents of pavement parking, graffiti, dog fouling and littering. Whetstone Parish Council are not responsible for these issues. Please use the links below to report these issues.
The most requested links are for Dog Fouling, Pavement Parking, Litter Removal and Graffiti , please find a quick link below
http://www.blaby.gov.uk/resident/roads-parking-and-travel/dog-fouling/
https://www.blaby.gov.uk/parking-and-roads/parking/parking-information/
http://www.blaby.gov.uk/resident/roads-parking-and-travel/report-a-problem/report-graffiti/
During the spring and summer months the issue of grass cutting in the Parish becomes a main issue. The Parish Council is not responsible for cutting of the grass verges/roundabouts in the Parish, or road maintenance, including reporting of pot holes etc . This is the remit of Leicestershire County Council.
Please find a quick link to these issues and how to report them below
https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/road-maintenance/grass-cutting
https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/road-maintenance/report-a-road-problem
The link below will also direct you to an online customer services form to report other issues to Leicestershire County Council.
https://leicestershirecc-self.achieveservice.com/en/service/Customer-Services-Contact-Us-Form
We hope that you find these quick links useful