... and they would also be right (except about the place bit). If the population of the South East was more accepting of giving up land to surface storage then this rain would be far more useful[1], but while most of the area is aquifer fed then you really need long periods of light rain during the winter to actually make a significant impact on the water levels. Most of this rainwater will wash out into rivers and then into the sea leaving little long term benefit.
We have a similar problem here - houses getting built on land which also happens to be flood-plain; you know the drill.
My knowledge of groundwater management is pretty limited
1 but my understanding is that one of the reasons York is so prone to flooding is that not only is the catchment area for the Ouse pretty damned big (same deal with the Derwent, if you live in Malton) but the management of the land surrounding it is such that the water doesn't really have anywhere to 'go' other than downstream when we have weather like this. Certainly, the last time I nipped up the road to check the conditions on my favourite bit of bridleway a few days ago it was largely dry as the water had just run off it (into the fields, which are now extremely flooded)
Still, it's not (yet) as bad as it was in November 2000
2, which is a small blessing.
We now return you to your scheduled grumbles
1 - whilst I do have a PhD in fluid dynamics, it's more to do with things that go 'bang'
2 - some pics of mine from the time may well be floating around t'internets; my one lasting memory was the Army trying desperately to shore up the flood defenses in Selby to prevent the river from bursting its banks. To say it was a close run thing would be an understatement.