THE Flood Partnership Open Forum was held at the Town Hall last Thursday, October 17.

The promotion literature advertising this event promised that ‘the main part of the meeting will consist of an opportunity to ask questions’.

The Flood Partnership includes representatives from Oxford City Council, Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire County Council, Environment Agency and Thames Water Utilities.

First, Oxford City Council showed examples of how the partnership manage Oxford in flood.

After this, one would expect to be given the opportunity to put questions to the representatives together as a group – this didn’t happen.

The large audience present was told that the partnership members were placed in different areas of the room and people would need to go to speak individually with these representatives.This allowed the representatives to pass responsibility regarding questions onto other representatives in the room, making it impossible to access transparency and clarity.

The public wished to raise their serious concern with flooding, sewerage, underground pipework, new development – to prevent floods, not just manage the situation afterwards.

The population has swollen to bursting point, together with water rates rising, providing the money for essential quality provision.

I was told that Oxfordshire County Council oversees the provision providers. If this information is true we can relax and sleep easy – there is plenty of Section 106 monies in its kitty.

ELAINE BENNETT, Marston Road, Oxford