HELP PREVENT FLOODING AND HELP OUR ENVIRONMENT

I have been calling of the Council for some time to improve the drain cleaning and repair program to help prevent flooding. I have also requested rather that just Tar Mac grass verges more efforts be made to repair and protect them as they help soak away rain water.
 One way residents can help prevent flooding is to ensure their front gardens have a capacity to soak up the rain.
 Many gardens for example these days have been altered to allow cars to park on them. New Planning regulations means that if permission is given to have a dropped curb these days there must be a form of soak away or porous surface as part of altering the garden. (I am asking the Planning department to enforce this regulation more vigorously.)
However there are many homes where there has been alterations to front gardens already and this has meant there is no such soak away in many case.
.Gardens which are fully paved or covered in tarmac result in more water adding to the problem of flooding somewhere else.
One solution could be to add a small area to the front garden where either pebbles or small drainage channels can be added.
We should all think carefully before concreting over our gardens.