Didsbury Flooding Updates
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Update: May 2025
Five months after the New Year’s Day flood in Didsbury, residents and local businesses are still dealing with the damage caused by flood water.
Since the River Mersey burst its banks, the Didsbury Liberal Democrats have been supporting our neighbours who were badly affected.
More than 500 people had to leave their homes on Palatine Road and Stenner Lane. Councillor Richard Kilpatrick spent 36 hours volunteering on New Year’s Day. He helped register people who had to leave their homes and worked with council staff to find emergency places to stay.
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Fighting for fairness
Some residents were forced to leave their homes on New Year’s Day because of the flooding, and many still haven’t been able to return.
Councillors Richard Kilpatrick and John Leech found out that while these residents were staying in temporary accommodation, the Council was still charging them Council Tax on both their flood-damaged homes and the places they were temporarily living in. This meant some people were having to pay Council Tax twice, even though their homes were unlivable.
After Richard and John raised the issue, Council leaders agreed this was unfair. They have now promised to refund the extra Council Tax for anyone who hasn’t been able to return home.
Richard said “no one should be punished financially for something beyond their control, especially after losing so much to the floods”.
Holding the EA to account
The Environment Agency is carrying out an investigation and working with the Council to write a report about the flooding. This report is required by law. It will explain what happened, why homes and buildings were flooded, and what went wrong.
The flood warning system didn’t work as it should have. Businesses in the flood zone were not told that the flood gate was being opened. Because of this, some people didn’t get evacuation warnings. There was serious damage to Didsbury Sports Ground and Withington Golf Club.
Richard has written a letter supporting Withington Golf Club, asking for fair compensation. He believes they should be paid in a reasonable amount of time, since the Environment Agency failed to warn them.
Richard and John have also questioned the Environment Agency’s view that a flood like the one on New Year’s Day only happens once every 100 years. They pointed out that Didsbury has had three major weather events in the last five years.
“We need urgent improvements to local flood defences and better communication in the future. They say that the safety of people, homes, and local businesses must come first, and that lessons must be learned.” John said.
No more delays
Councillors John Leech and Richard Kilpatrick found out that the Environment Agency had not completed a promised review of the flood defences in Didsbury. The review was supposed to be finished by 2024, but it was delayed and no one told the community.
Richard and John met with the Environment Agency to ask for answers. They also asked for a promise that, because of the risk to homes in the future, the review will now be treated as a top priority.
After the flooding, it took Manchester City Council weeks to start properly cleaning up the areas that were hit the hardest.
Councillors John Leech and Richard Kilpatrick worked non-stop to push the Council to take the clean-up and recovery more seriously. While the Council was slow to act, many residents and local businesses were left to deal with the mess themselves; removing rubbish, debris, and flood-damaged materials without help.
Councillor John Leech joined residents at Riverside Lodge, where the car park and surrounding grounds had been left full of dirty, contaminated water and waste. Together, they worked to clear the area and make it safe again.
At the same time, Councillor Richard Kilpatrick stepped in to organise extra support. He arranged for skips to be delivered by the Council so that residents could get rid of damaged items quickly. He also pushed the Council to visit homes and carry out urgent repairs, including fixing blocked and broken drains.
Thanks to their efforts, many residents finally got the help they needed but both councillors say the clean-up should have started much sooner.
John and Richard's flooding newsletter
As and when we receive updates about flooding and flooding relief, you will be the first to know. (This newsletter is not a substitute for guidance from authorities, especially in an acute flooding situation).