Flood-hit Perth residents have yet to settle insurance claims with the council – eight months after their homes were wrecked.
A new Perth and Kinross Council report reveals the causes of the flooding are still under investigation.
It comes after dozens of properties – including the doomed Bell’s Sports Centre – were deluged on the weekend of October 6-8 last year.
The council has been heavily criticised for failing to close the floodgates at Perth’s North Inch, despite weather warnings.
And the authority’s chief executive has publicly apologised for failings in the wider response to the flooding.
One North Inch property owner says the delay in reaching an agreement over who is to blame is “extremely frustrating”.
Perth businessman Blain Ross’s Rose Terrace property was among those flooded.
The St John’s Restaurant boss says he needs the council to accept it was at fault over the floodgates before he submits an insurance claim.
And he added: “It’s extremely frustrating that while the council has accepted they were at fault and apologised, they are still refusing to admit negligence.”
Counci’s insurance team managing North Inch flooding claims
The scrutiny and performance committee will consider the new report on the October 2023 flood response on Wednesday.
Under the heading ‘liability claims’, It states: “Investigations into the causes of the flooding remain ongoing through the council’s insurers”.
It goes on: “Claims for the impact of flooding on affected properties between 6-8 October are being managed through the council’s insurance team with residents being signposted on how to submit a claim.
“This will follow due process and is in the hands of the respective insurance companies and advisors.”
Mr Ross publicly urged the council to accept blame for the North Inch flooding at a council meeting last November.
Speaking then, he said: “I want an admission from Perth and Kinross Council that not closing the floodgates was negligent. Therefore, we can get on with agreeing a legal settlement and compensation.
“And I really want to make sure that this cannot happen again.”
‘Council did not meet standards residents expect’
Council bosses promised a series of improvements following the flooding last October.
Wednesday’s meeting will detail the progress that has been made on some of these action points.
This includes crisis management training for senior staff and the creation of new community resilience groups to react to flooding in local areas.
Action will also be taken to prioritise genuine out-of-hours emergency calls in the case of future flooding.
The report acknowledges there were “instances during the response and recovery phase where the council did not meet the standards of support that residents expect.”
It goes on: “Our chief executive has placed on record his apology for those who experienced this, doing so at a community meeting with impacted residents around the North Inch area, in a public statement issued to the media, and again at the first meeting of scrutiny and performance to consider the improvement plan.”
The council revealed in April it was considering permanently sealing some of the Perth floodgates.
It is also introducing new lightweight barriers that can be installed more quickly in an emergency.
Conversation