Residents who are at risk of flooding are being urged to feed back on the Environment Agency's Lower Thames Flood Risk Management Strategy consultation which finishes on 4 December.
The council has written to parish and ward councillors in areas likely to be affected by the proposed strategy which will be discussed by cabinet tomorrow (Thursday 26 November). The need for a comprehensive and robust approach to alleviate flooding has been heightened by the recent major incident in Cumbria.
Cllr Colin Rayner, lead member for highways and streetcare, supports the strategy and will be working closely with the Environment Agency to ensure that council's views are taken into account and that the strategy is implemented as a matter of urgency.
Cllr Rayner has recently had high level talks with the Environment Agency where options to alleviate flooding were discussed, including dredging the River Thames and further flood prevention work in the Royal Borough prior to the Lower Thames Flood Risk Management Solutions being fully implemented.
He said: "Royal Borough residents have their own experiences of flooding - most recently in 2007.
"The floods in Cumbria over the last few days are an all-too-real reminder of the need for a robust flood management strategy locally - we need to do all we can for our residents in the event of flooding. We want to ensure that any lessons learned from Cumbria are implemented to protect residents.
"I am recommending that the council supports the Lower Thames Flood Risk Management Strategy with the proviso that the Environment Agency does all it can to progress the scheme as soon as possible.
"Our thoughts are with the stricken Cumbrian community and in particular to the family of the police officer who lost his life."
To ensure that flooding issues are managed comprehensively the council has formed a dedicated flood group which will include the Environment Agency and Thames Water and will have local representation through parish councils. The first meeting is scheduled for 14 December.
Details of the consultation, which ends on Friday 4 December, can be found on the council website www.rbwm.gov.uk and on the Environment Agency's website http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/