- Request
-
Darcy the Mole
Following receipt of one of the 'Darcy the Mole' fridge magnets recently distributed by the council, please provide:
1. The total amount spent to date on the Darcy the Mole initiative, including the 19,000 fridge magnets, design, production, distribution and any other associated costs.
2. The source of the funding used for this expenditure, and the amount contributed by each funding source.
Expenditure on actually reducing flood risk
Since Storm Babet and Storm Henk, I would also like to understand how much money has actually been spent on measures intended to reduce the likelihood of floodwater entering properties, or reduce the impact of flooding on properties where flooding cannot be prevented. For clarity, I am not asking for the council's overall flood budget or total expenditure on flood-related activities. Please exclude expenditure which relates solely to:
- routine maintenance;
- routine drainage or watercourse maintenance;
- monitoring and telemetry;
- flood warning systems;
- investigations, surveys and modelling;
- research;
- flood reporting;
- public information, communications or education;
- emergency response after flooding has occurred.
I am specifically interested in expenditure on physical works or interventions intended to provide a tangible reduction in flood risk to properties, for example property-level protection, flood barriers, flood storage, drainage improvements, watercourse improvements or other measures intended to prevent or mitigate flooding.
3. Please provide the total amount spent by Lincolnshire County Council on such measures from 1 October 2023 to the present.
4. The source of the funding used for this expenditure, and the amount contributed by each funding source.
- Decision
-
- Total amount spent £5,200
- This project (Project Groundwater Greater Lincolnshire) is funded by Defra as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes which is managed by the Environment Agency. The programmes will drive innovation in flood and coastal resilience and adaptation to a changing climate.
- The following investment has been made on physical works and interventions
Capital Flood Risk Schemes
Scheme
Description and Delivery Year
Scheme Capital Cost
Anticipated No. of Properties Better Protected
Scheme Description
Construction Completion
Long Bennington North Surface Water Scheme
The scheme saw a replacement and improvement in the pipework capacity, creating a new outfall into the River Witham, and installing new gullies and manholes to help manage the drainage in the northern section of the village.
COMPLETE – November 2023
£1,182,000
(£654,000 Grant in Aid & £248,000 from Anglian Water)
56
Hough on the Hill Surface Water Improvements
To provide replacements to the existing surface water drainage, introduction of new gullies, kerbing, surfacing, and watercourse cleansing.
COMPLETE – September 2024
£205,000
15
High Street, Brant Broughton Surface Water Improvements
The scheme saw a replacement and improvement to the existing surface water drainage system and damaged footway.
COMPLETE – July 2024
£130,000
12
Kirkby on Bain Surface Water Scheme
A replacement and increase in capacity to the existing surface water system along with the introduction of new gullies, kerbing, surfacing, non-return valves on outfalls to the Bain, and watercourse cleansing.
COMPLETE – March 2025
£880,000
(Devolution Deal for Greater Lincolnshire funded)
33
Long Bennington Primary School and Main Rd South, Surface Water Improvements
The scheme saw an improvement to collection of surface water in the southern section of the village, in the area immediately outside of the primary school by increasing the number of highways gullies and renewing the lateral connections, and installation of a new length of drain to ease the pressure on the existing sewer.
COMPLETE – February 2025
£206,000
14
Main Road, Scopwick Culvert Replacement
Improvement to surface water discharge through the existing highway drainage system along the B1191 Main Street, starting at the Junction of the B1188 right the way through to Eastern edge of the village. Repair of multiple collapses within the system along Main Street, whilst also installing new chambers and renewing a number of collection points to assist with collection of surface water runoff and future maintenance of the asset.
COMPLETE – November 2025
£308,000
8
Abbey Road, Bardney Drainage Improvements
A minor scheme delivered by highways colleagues, but a funding contribution was made by the Floods and Water Team. The scheme was to install a swale in the verge, along with grips, and lifting the level to the property driveway with the introduction of kerbing and resurfacing.
COMPLETE - February 2026
£37,000 (Contributuion to Highways Scheme to enable delivery)
3
Mareham le Fen, Chapel Lane Improvements
A minor works scheme was delivered to repair and rehabilitate the system outfall, which was damaged, working with a private commercial landowner, along with installation of additional collection points, kerbing and culvert repairs to allow sufficient flows of surface water to be returned through the system and reducing the surface water flood risk in the area.
COMPLETE - August 2026
£85,000
3
Toynton St Peter Surface Water Scheme
A replacement and increase in capacity to the existing surface water system along with the introduction of new gullies, kerbing, surfacing, and watercourse cleansing looking to benefit properties at flood risk from surface water and spanning from Fenside Road through to Eastville Road, Chapel Lane and Church Lane, effectively providing improvements to the entirety of the village.
On-site due to complete Sept 2026
£760,000
12
Cherry Willingham, Waterford Lane, Surface Water Scheme
The scheme will be delivered in two phases. The first phase will see the extension of the existing open watercourse across the grass verge at the junction of Fiskerton Road and Waterford Lane with the installation of a new box culvert under Fiskerton Road to provide a significant increase in capacity to deal with upstream flows. The second phase will see a new bypass system installed from the open watercourse at the rear of properties on Waterford Lane through to the existing drainage system within the highway, again providing a significant increase of capacity to deal with increased flows.
On-site due to complete Oct 2026
£400,000
17
Total
£4,193,000
173
Defra funded Property Flood Resilience Grant administered by Lincolnshire County Council post Storm Babet (October 2023) and Storm Henk (January 2024)
Grant funding drawn down from Defra (£5,000 max per property)
Number of successful applicants with PFR measures installed to their properties
Storm Babet Defra Property Flood Resilience (PFR) Repair Grant Scheme
£818,154
167
Storm Henk Defra Property Flood Resilience (PFR) Repair Grant Scheme
£264,994
54
Lincolnshire County Council Grant funded Property Flood Resilience scheme
To date, 36no properties have received a total of £132,776.52 in grant funding to support the installation of Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures. At the time of writing, further applications are still being received and assessed’
- The source of funding for the works programme identified in the above table is capital expenditure from the Flood Risk budget at Lincolnshire County Council. Where other funding sources have been utilised, these are identified against the relevant scheme in the above table.
The Defra funded PFR grant was drawn down from central government and administered by Lincolnshire County Council
The LCC Property Flood Resilience grant is funding provided from council reserves
- Reference number
- 18094033
- Date request received
- 22 September 2026
- Date of decision
- 7 October 2026