Recommendation 4

HM Government · verbatim extract Not Addressed

The Environment Agency’s latest assessment shows that surface water will be the most common flood risk in coming decades. We agree this needs to be better reflected in the actions of risk management authorities. Under the Flood and Water Management Act (2010) all RMAs have a duty to cooperate in the exercise of their flood and coastal erosion risk management functions. The Act also grants powers to the Environment Agency and lead local flood authorities to request information, in relation to their flood duties, from other persons, which must be provided in the form or manner, and within the period, specified. In 2011 Defra and the Environment Agency published statutory guidance covering these parts of the Act, including the typical activities needed to deliver their functions such as mapping historic and predicted flood risk. Alongside the power to request information, the Act includes a civil sanctions enforcement power. Data sharing is a means of improving delivery of flood risk management outcomes. In continuing to support the management of surface water flood risk, and subsequent delivery of outcomes, the Environment Agency has been working with water companies and other RMAs to develop data standards for flood risk management assets including a surface water ‘Data Requirements Library’. The surface water section includes sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), asset types to improve data definition, and data capture. The Environment Agency has enabled water companies and Water UK to form partnerships with government departments so that retrofit SuDS are used on departments’ estates to reduce flood risk, as well as improve water use and water quality. The new National Flood Risk Assessment (NaFRA2 uses the most up to date local flood risk modelling for both surface water, rivers, and the sea and improved national data. The post flood investigation guidance, which was co-developed with Lead Local Flood Authorities and published on 9 July 2025, sets out the importance of data-sharing between risk management authorities and provides some guidance and a case study on how this can be done. A proactive ‘pre-pipe’ approach is required to ensure that rainwater is diverted away from the sewer network or collected for reuse, and sewer misuse is tackled. The government is committed to taking action to enable pre-pipe solutions and we are currently considering measures to support this. The government is committed to driving an increase in the quantity and quality of sustainable drainage systems, including their effective adoption and maintenance. This will be supported by the government’s recently announced reforms to flood funding that will strengthen investment in surface water flood management by removing barriers. For example, projects will no longer need to demonstrate moving properties from one risk band to a lower band, a requirement that previously hindered delivery of interventions such as sustainable drainage systems. Under the new approach, surface water projects, which are typically smaller in scope, will benefit from being eligible for full government funding for the first £3 million. The government recognises the importance of having a robust drainage and wastewater system both now and for future demand. To that end, we have made it a statutory requirement for sewerage undertakers in England and Wales to prepare, publish and maintain Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans. These are strategic plans that identify the actions a sewerage undertaker proposes to or continues to take over at least the next 25 years to ensure continued delivery of robust drainage and sewerage services. These plans set out how the undertakers will accommodate for future demands, such as population growth and climate change, and addressing risks to their networks posed by flooding. The plans must specifically address several elements including capacity, resilience, and relevant environmental risks. The Water (Special Measures) Act (2025) added a requirement for such plans to address the use that is made of nature-based solutions within drainage and wastewater networks. This is a key solution to current and future risks including flooding. We agree with the importance of continually improving the underpinning evidence and mapping. The Environment Agency will continue to refine the new national flood risk assessment using the best available local surface water maps and models from local authorities. The Environment Agency will continue to assure surface water flood risk information going into its assessment to ensure it is of a consistent standard nationally. As new maps and models are ready, they will be incorporated through regular updates. Local resilience forums are encouraged to develop specific multi-agency flood plans to adequately address the types of flood risk, defined in their community risk register, and the associated emergency response arrangements. Surface water flood risk is included in these plans. Embedding catc