Flood Funding

Written evidence submitted by CL Beaumont-Rydings

Subject: Postponement of Flood water and management. Sustainable Systems.
Question: I agree with section 61 whereby there is dismay that the water companies are extremely slow to attend to water service equipment and piping.

There is another dimension which I feel has been disastrous for the public and it's purse. On the mad rush to build, build, build I refer to Saddleworth Parish Council and OMBC. Developers were allowed to build on flood plains and tap into victorian pipework, scarifying copse of trees that stabilised ground for over 150 years. The pipework on Uppermill was placed cicrca 1820 - 40 to provide in 9 inch iron a sewerage system for up to 100 people. The developers, despite public warning and distress were allowed to build into the system which in that are, over 6ooo people were using.

Consequently this failure was the eeason for flooding and sewerage into rivers and residential and village pond facilties I believe from records over public concern circa 2006/5 when I was Chair of the Uppermill Residents Community group, called upon by residents to represent them. At council the developers, one tiem after a buffet were given undue time whislt the public were give 3 minutes. Block voting cancelled out our concerns whcih sadly came to pass.

I mention this history for two counts:-

1. The leakage of water and sewerage and clean up monies, unnecessary if the the developers were contracted to install appropriately the correct piping for curent and extended build needs.

2. The cartels it seems that Water companies have since no one to compete with, have passed the burden onto the public.

If the water companies were made to take from profits, planned preventative maintenance it may make their minds up very soon that leaking, outdated, corroded and health hazards produced would have on THEIR profits, would this not lead to better water management?

A little bit here and a little bit there of these problems, over time, are costly.

I object and those that asked me to represent the more creaming off monies from the public for a defective unfit for purpose "service".

February 2013