Recommendations & Conclusions
7 items
1
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Flooding
Accepted in Part
We welcome the doubling of investment in flood defences announced at Budget 2020, amounting to £5.2 billion over the next six years. It is vital that measures to address the growing, long-term, flood and coastal risk in the face of climate change are adequately resourced. The Government should therefore keep …
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We welcome the doubling of investment in flood defences announced at Budget 2020, amounting to £5.2 billion over the next six years. It is vital that measures to address the growing, long-term, flood and coastal risk in the face of climate change are adequately resourced. The Government should therefore keep the level of investment under constant review, with reference to the Environment Agency’s long-term investment scenarios. The Government should commit to ensuring that funding for flood and coastal erosion risk management will keep pace with climate science and modelling of flood and coastal risk, both during the 2021–27 programme and beyond.
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Government response AI summary
The government details its current £5.2 billion investment in flood defences for 2021-2027, stating it exceeds the Environment Agency's optimal investment levels and that EA guidance on climate change scenarios is regularly reviewed. However, it explicitly states that the level of investment beyond this current …
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Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
7
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Flooding
Accepted in Part
The Government’s refusal to set a national standard for resilience to flooding means there is uncertainty about the level of its ambition. We would expect the Government to show leadership in the face of severe and growing risk by setting out its long- term objective. We are not convinced by …
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The Government’s refusal to set a national standard for resilience to flooding means there is uncertainty about the level of its ambition. We would expect the Government to show leadership in the face of severe and growing risk by setting out its long- term objective. We are not convinced by the Government’s rationale for rejecting the National Infrastructure Commission’s recommendation of a nationwide standard for flood resilience. Such a standard could address limitations of cost- benefit approaches to allocating funding, and would improve public confidence in the Government’s approach to creating a country better protected and better prepared for flooding. The Government believes that national standards would be a “lowest common denominator”, but it is surely right for the Government to take a political decision on what its policies are meant to achieve. The Government should clearly set out the level of resilience that its interventions, including future capital investment and the actions in its July 2020 policy statement, are intended to deliver in the long term. This should be aligned to climate projections, and should include qualitative and quantitative objectives for what a nation resilient to flooding looks like. The Government should seriously re-examine the case for expressing this as a national standard for flood resilience, as recommended by the National Infrastructure Commission.
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Government response AI summary
The Government does not accept a 'one size fits all' national standard, citing difficulties. However, it commits to developing national indicators to monitor resilience trends, strengthening reporting, and transforming local planning to drive progress towards greater flood resilience.
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Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
10
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Flooding
Accepted in Part
The Government must provide leadership to ensure that the division of flood risk responsibilities among various organisations does not result in local communities experiencing a less efficient and responsive approach to flood risk management than if all responsibilities were brought under one roof. We cautiously welcome the Government’s commitment to …
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The Government must provide leadership to ensure that the division of flood risk responsibilities among various organisations does not result in local communities experiencing a less efficient and responsive approach to flood risk management than if all responsibilities were brought under one roof. We cautiously welcome the Government’s commitment to reform flood risk planning, but it must effectively address the concerns we have heard about lack of integration, and not simply place unnecessary new bureaucracy or burdens on risk management authorities. The Government should provide further detail on its plans to reform local flood risk planning, including which bodies will be expected to lead and co-operate, and how these plans will relate to existing plans and a cross-Government approach to climate adaptation. The Government should draw on best practice from Shoreline Management Plans and Catchment Partnerships in this process. The Government should also ensure that local authorities and other partners receive any additional funding required for this work.
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Government response AI summary
The government commits to transforming local flood risk planning by 2026 and will consult on changes, including providing further detail on responsibilities and integration; however, it states local authorities are already resourced and will only carefully consider future funding impacts.
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Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
13
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Flooding
Accepted in Part
We recognise and pay tribute to the substantial effort undertaken by all emergency responders, as well as local communities and the armed services, in responding to the severe flooding over the autumn and winter of 2019–20. However, we are concerned by ongoing indications of resourcing issues for those bodies undertaking …
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We recognise and pay tribute to the substantial effort undertaken by all emergency responders, as well as local communities and the armed services, in responding to the severe flooding over the autumn and winter of 2019–20. However, we are concerned by ongoing indications of resourcing issues for those bodies undertaking the vital work of helping protect lives and livelihoods in the immediate wake of a flood. As the Secretary of State has rightly acknowledged the increasing frequency of severe flooding events, it is not right to expect these organisations to operate at Flooding 49 the limit of their capacity. The Government should engage with all bodies involved in flooding incident response to review their capacity to deal with more frequent severe flooding. The review should ensure that local co-ordination is effective and all partners are properly resourced to meet future challenges.
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Government response AI summary
The government commits to reviewing the role and capacity of the voluntary sector and community groups in flood incident response, and the Environment Agency is reviewing information resources and developing a five-year training plan for staff. However, the response focuses specifically on community and voluntary …
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Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
20
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Flooding
Accepted in Part
It is clear that planning and risk management authorities must be empowered and resourced to effectively monitor and enforce the fulfilment of planning conditions in areas at risk of flooding. The Government should urgently review whether planning conditions to mitigate flood risk are being fulfilled. The Government should then bring …
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It is clear that planning and risk management authorities must be empowered and resourced to effectively monitor and enforce the fulfilment of planning conditions in areas at risk of flooding. The Government should urgently review whether planning conditions to mitigate flood risk are being fulfilled. The Government should then bring forward proposals to address any limitations in the powers and resources available to appropriate authorities for the enforcement of planning conditions.
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Government response AI summary
The government states it believes existing enforcement powers for planning authorities are adequate and further powers are unnecessary. However, it commits to engaging with local authorities to understand how they use their existing powers, their available resources, and barriers to effective enforcement, and will consider …
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Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
28
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Flooding
Accepted in Part
It is essential that work is done to improve understanding of the scale of surface water flood risk at a national and local level. In particular, we are concerned to hear evidence of surface and foul water flooding caused or exacerbated by the failure to adequately maintain drainage systems. It …
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It is essential that work is done to improve understanding of the scale of surface water flood risk at a national and local level. In particular, we are concerned to hear evidence of surface and foul water flooding caused or exacerbated by the failure to adequately maintain drainage systems. It is difficult to determine the scale of this risk due to the lack of centralised information on the capacity of sewer systems. The Government should quantify the surface water element of its overall ambition for flood resilience. In its update on the Surface Water Management Action Plan, it should also explain how it will improve the collection and sharing of data on drainage and sewerage capacity.
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Government response AI summary
The Government commits to improving data collection and sharing through statutory Drainage and Sewerage Management Plans and an update to the Surface Water Management Action Plan, but it does not explicitly quantify its overall ambition for surface water flood resilience.
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Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs
33
Recommendation
Fourth Report - Flooding
Accepted in Part
The Government has been clear that paying farmers for measures such as floodwater storage forms a key part of its plans. Any measures which call on farmers and land managers to allow their land to be used in this way must ensure proper recognition for the public goods provided. The …
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The Government has been clear that paying farmers for measures such as floodwater storage forms a key part of its plans. Any measures which call on farmers and land managers to allow their land to be used in this way must ensure proper recognition for the public goods provided. The Government should ensure that natural flood management schemes will involve farmers and land managers at every stage of identifying, designing and implementing a scheme. The Government should also ensure that land managers are paid appropriately for the public goods provided, and that financial assistance and technical advice for long-term maintenance are provided. Any scheme must also include clarity on liability should a flood occur. (Paragraph 134) Engaging with people
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Government response AI summary
The Government committed to natural flood management, including doubling relevant projects and substantial investment. It affirmed its commitment to paying farmers for public goods under new schemes, with details being developed through stakeholder engagement and outlined in the Sustainable Farming Incentive, but did not specifically …
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Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs