Yes, it does.
Some possible answers to something like flooding are that the council should determine what delegated powers to give to the clerk (possibly including financial limits) or councillors simply acting as volunteer citizens to help with the problem.
In fact, it is good for the general running of a council if you can rely on the clerk to make a range of delegated decisions by virtue of the council having decided policies and limits within which the clerk can operate. The clerk is able to make immediate decisions within these parameters, something that no councillor can do. So the role of clerk is important, and is made more effective by the council thinking ahead and setting policies.
When it comes to planning deadlines, the planning authority usually has a limited amount of flexibility. If that doesn't work, then the chairman can always call an extraordinary meeting with the usual three clear days notice. But the council can only express an opinion by holding a formal meeting. Any views put forward outside of this are simply personal representations.
