At a recent meeting of Lincolnshire County Council, the new Reform UK administration pushed through a controversial and deeply misguided plan to abolish the council’s standalone Flood and Water Management Committee.
Despite passionate and expert cross-party opposition, Reform councillors forced
a decision that will seriously risk our county’s flood resilience, public safety, and reputation for effective scrutiny if left unchallenged.
Lincolnshire is no ordinary county when it comes to flooding. Year after year, our communities face rising waters, ruined homes, and shattered livelihoods. For years, the
Flood and Water Management Committee has acted as the county’s dedicated “watchdog”, bringing together all the key agencies: Environment Agency, Internal Drainage Boards, Anglian Water, district councils, and our experts under one roof.
This unique forum enabled real scrutiny, partnership, and leadership at the level required by law and demanded by residents.
To abolish this committee and fold its work into a general-purpose Environment Committee is to erase vital expertise and focus at the worst possible moment.
Just months ago, the council produced a Storm Impact Report that set out precisely what is needed to keep Lincolnshire safe.
That work is now at risk of being left unfinished, undermined by a decision made without due regard for the realities our communities face.
The debate saw experienced councillors from all parties –Conservatives, Labour, Lib Dems and Independents –set aside politics and plead for common sense.
These members have stood alongside residents in flood-hit areas, boots deep in water, fighting for practical solutions.
Their message was simple: abolishing this committee is not “tidying up” bureaucracy – it is an act of shortsightedness that our residents will not forgive.
As Coun Carrington so powerfully put it: “This is not a simple matter of constitutional change. It’s about people’s lives.
“Abolishing (the Flood and Water Committee) will send a dire message to those who have suffered so badly from flooding.”
The administration’s only consistent rationale was that abolishing the committee would “save money” and “reduce waste”. But this argument does not stand up to scrutiny.
The cost of running a handful of scrutiny meetings per year is negligible compared to the council’s budget – and utterly dwarfed by the financial and human costs of flooding.
This so-called efficiency is, in reality, a false economy.
Effective flood management prevents disaster; a failure to scrutinise risks and respond appropriately costs residents, businesses, and the council itself many times more in the long run.
The Conservatives and other opposition members repeatedly made this point, but Reform’s national agenda – mirrored in Derbyshire and signalled by Reform HQ – has prioritised headline-chasing cuts over evidence-based governance.
The pattern is clear. Reform UK is imposing this policy from the centre, with Derbyshire’s new Reform Council abolishing its flooding committee on the same “cost-saving” grounds.
This is not about local needs; it is about national party posturing.
Local government works best when it listens to its communities and experts – not when it takes orders from London party headquarters.
Lincolnshire’s reputation for partnership, expertise, and flood resilience has been hard-won. It is now at risk.
The abolition of the Flood and Water Management Committee will not be seen as “streamlining” – it will be seen, rightly, as a retreat.
Reform has chosen to put bureaucracy ahead of safety and political headlines ahead of the lived reality of rural Lincolnshire.
Conservatives stand for a practical, accountable government that puts people before ideology.
We will continue to fight for the restoration of effective scrutiny, a genuine focus on public safety, and a council that understands the real cost of “false economies”.
This decision is a grave mistake.
It is not too late for the council to correct its course, restore the Flood Committee, and show Lincolnshire residents that their safety and voices come first – not a spreadsheet in London or a headline about “savings”.
The Conservatives will hold this administration to account and work to ensure Lincolnshire never faces another flood disaster alone.
Lincolnshire County Council Conservative Group
