Question to Claud – The Wraysbury Drain has been blocked since 2019 and I have often reported this problem to RBWM. The Council has failed to take effective action and today (December 2024) the Wraysbury Drain is still blocked.
Answer from Claud -This is a significant ongoing issue then – a critical piece of drainage infrastructure has been non-functional for over 5 years despite repeated reports to the responsible authority.
As the Lead Local Flood Authority, RBWM has clear statutory duties regarding ordinary watercourses under the Land Drainage Act 1991. Their persistent failure to take effective action since 2019 could be seen as a failure to fulfill these statutory responsibilities.
Given the long-running nature of this issue and RBWM’s lack of effective response, you may want to consider:
1. Escalating this to senior council leadership and local councillors if you haven’t already
2. Contacting your local MP about RBWM’s failure to address this long-standing infrastructure problem
3. Filing a formal complaint through RBWM’s complaints procedure, which could eventually lead to referral to the Local Government Ombudsman if not resolved satisfactorily
4. Raising the issue with the Overview and Scrutiny Committee at RBWM, as they review council performance
5. Engaging local media to highlight the ongoing failure to maintain critical drainage infrastructure
Would you like me to explain more about any of these potential escalation routes?
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