Herefordshire Council is to spend up to £100,000 on external flooding experts

Herefordshire Council is to spend up to £100,000 on external flooding experts following a year of damaging floods around the county.

Herefordshire Council has awarded the 12-month contract to Cheshire-based RSK Environment for the work, while continuing to also recruit specialist in-house staff to deal with the problem.

“Following a number of flood events in Herefordshire during 2024, it has been identified that additional flood risk expertise is needed so that Herefordshire Council can progress its flood response project in order to best support local communities,” the council said.

As the lead local flood authority for the county, Herefordshire Council is legally required to investigate the causes of, and response to, “significant” flood events, and to produce a detailed flood investigation report with recommendations.

The council has also allocated an extra £150,000 to its public realm partner Balfour Beatty Living Places and its “sub-consultant” WSP, “to identify potential flood management schemes” between now and the end of the current financial year in April.

Both sums come from the council’s own Severe Weather Fund.