Evidence sessions are to begin on 10 October and the Committee had invited submissions from interested parties by 13 September 2007.

Cllr Philip Booth, a Stroud District councillor and author of the report said: "The severity of the floods and the knock-on effects, locally like no drinking water for 2 weeks, have reinforced the need for urgent action. The evidence that such extreme weather events will become more often is undisputed. The priority must be to raise awareness of the need for radical action to reduce CO2 emissions; the failures by our leaders, politicians and media on this issue must not continue. The scientific consensus is clear, yet only the Green party at present offer the policies to reduce our emissions by what is needed."

Philip Booth said: "Admitting our own part in this emerging crisis is a sign of hope: but we must act fast. And that means politicians especially need to make explicit links, for example, between the misery of people in the floods and the absurdity of expanding airports like at Heathrow and locally at Staverton. Polls show that, even as the flood water comes through our doors, the public are still not convinced about the reality of climate change."

Philip Booth, who is also Secretary of the Ruscombe Brook Action Group and will be speaker at a public meeting about the Slad brook floods on Wednesday 12th September, said: "We need a clearer message and actions to tackle climate change, but there are also a host of other measures needed: not least a comprehensive strategy towards water. One priority must be Sustainable Urban Drainage systems for all developments: these are often cheaper and easier to maintain and also reduce run-off and flooding. Plus we need to prioritise upstream flood defences, have much stricter rules about housebuilding on flood plains and reduce impermeable surfaces. We need to reject concrete in favour of “porous” townscapes which allow rain to more easily refill the aquifers and reduce run-off and flooding. Severn Trent Water report a 4% increase in their regions impermeable hard surfaces each year: this is only adding to the problem yet there are for example many permeable surfaces that are excellent for our driveways and don't create the problems of paving and concrete."

Other measures called for by the Green party include: improving our crisis management, relooking at the role of agriculture in reducing floods, seriously tackle the causes on climate change with a robust programme of carbon reduction, restoring water companies to public ownership, building community resilience, rethinking our sewage systems, decentralising energy and consuming less water.