Cirencester Flood Summit Brings Communities Together to Tackle Flooding
On a sunny Saturday in Cirencester, 50 residents, local councillors, and Roz Savage MP gathered at the RAU Growth Hub to shine a spotlight on the issue of flooding in the South Cotswolds.
The summit on Saturday 8th March, organised by Roz and her team, provided an opportunity to examine the impact of flooding while giving residents a platform to share personal stories and develop action plans. Attendees came from communities across the Gloucestershire part of the South Cotswolds constituency, including Cirencester, Fairford, Lechlade, Kempsford, Whelford, Siddington, South Cerney, Down Ampney and Poulton.
This summit followed up the one held the week before in Cricklade for the Wiltshire part of the South Cotswolds constituency. The summit was chaired by Cllr Tristan Wilkinson, who is the Lead Member with responsibility for flooding at Cotswold District Council and ward councillor for Lechlade, Kempsford and Fairford South who is working with Roz on flooding issues.
As at the first summit, residents shared powerful first-hand accounts of how flooding has affected their homes, businesses, and daily lives. One resident spoke about the emotional toll that flooding of his home has caused to his family and the anxiety they feel when there is heavy rainfall, fearing the repeated flooding of their home.
The discussion highlighted the care residents have for their communities. Residents demonstrated their resilience, a depth of local knowledge, and a strong willingness to engage with future solutions.
This was particularly evident in Cirencester, Fairford and Siddington. Residents shared the extensive work they have done to understand the causes of flooding in their settlements. However, they also expressed frustration at the challenges they sometimes face in getting agencies and landowners to engage with their findings and take action to prevent further flooding.
Roz, who hosted the summit, reaffirmed her commitment to ensuring that actions taken by public bodies incorporate valuable local knowledge. She said:
"With climate change leading to more intense downpours, flooding is a growing challenge for so many communities, and it’s essential that those affected have a say in the solutions. These summits were about more than just discussing the problem – they were about harnessing local knowledge, fostering collaboration, and driving real action. I will take the ideas and priorities shared and work to secure the necessary commitments to bring about meaningful change.”
One resident has offered feedback:
“Thank you very much for hosting the flood summit on Saturday and for letting us speak for our village. We found it helpful and a supportive environment in which to speak. There seemed to be a lot of empathy in the room for each other's flooding problems. It feels like Roz is the first person who is on our side of the problem. It was also a good thing to hear the stories of other residents and know that we are all in the same boat, as you said one hundred voices behind you is a great deal more powerful than our individual voice. We feel positive moving forward.”
With ongoing collaboration between local communities, councillors, and policymakers, the momentum from the summits in Cirencester and Cricklade has the potential to drive significant progress in flood prevention and response efforts. Roz remains dedicated to ensuring that the insights gathered are taken forward to decision-makers and translated into tangible improvements for our communities.
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