Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 14
14
Not Addressed
Establish clear national mechanism for strategic oversight and accountability in flood risk management.
Recommendation
Flood resilience must be planned, integrated, and accountable, not fragmented, reactive, or opaque. The Government should establish a clear national mechanism for strategic oversight and accountability in flood risk management. By the end of 2025, it should set out how it intends to deliver this, whether by strengthening the Environment Agency’s mandate, amending the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, or formally assigning oversight responsibilities to a permanent coordinating body, such as the Flood Resilience Taskforce. Implementation should begin no later than 2026. This mechanism should: • Provide strategic oversight across all sources of flood risk, fluvial, surface water, coastal, and groundwater, and set national priorities for risk management authorities. • Coordinate investment, standards, and adaptation targets across departments, sectors, and funding streams. • Support and equip Lead Local Flood Authorities with the powers, funding, and technical capacity needed to deliver locally. • Maintain and publish a national statement of responsibilities, setting out the duties of all relevant actors, including water companies, local authorities, infrastructure operators, and the public. • Ensure flood risk and climate adaptation are fully integrated into spatial planning and development decisions through strategic oversight and consistent national policy. (Recommendation, Paragraph 59)
Government Response Summary
The government's response focuses on strengthening the delivery of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and exploring options for their adoption and maintenance, referencing the FloodReady report. It explicitly states it will not implement Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act (2010), and does not address the recommendation for establishing a clear national mechanism for strategic oversight and accountability in flood risk management.
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The government remains committed to strengthening the delivery of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and is exploring further measures to enhance support for their implementation. The FloodReady report, published in October 2025, highlights gaps and opportunities to grow the property flood resilience market and emphasises the vital role SuDS play in flood resilience. SuDS help increase the resilience of people and properties to flooding by reducing water runoff and mitigating the impacts of increases in impermeable surfaces at property level. A key recommendation from the report is for government and local authorities to explore effective ways to encourage existing property owners and new-build developers to capture and retain rainwater on-site. Improved delivery of SuDS could be achieved by building on the current planning policy approach and exploring options to strengthen adoption and maintenance, rather than implementing Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act (2010). The government will decide on which course of action to pursue in due course. The government intends to consult on national planning policy related to decision making, including policies on flood risk and SuDS. The government recognises the importance of long-term maintenance and adoption of SuDS. The government will be consulting on legislative and policy options to reduce the prevalence of unadopted estates, including for SuDS. In June, the government introduced new national standards requiring SuDS to be designed for changing climatic conditions while delivering broader water infrastructure benefits, such as flood prevention, storm overflow reduction, water reuse opportunities, reduced runoff, and improved water quality, amenity, and biodiversity. Closing the flood awareness gap Recommendation at paragraph 100: ‘The Government must launch a major national flood awareness campaign, co-designed with flood-affected communities and delivered with trusted local partners such as flood wardens, schools, the media, and frontline services. This campaign should be coordinated across relevant public bodies and agencies, ensuring consistent messaging and integration into their day-to- day operations as a core part of national flood strategy. It should begin as soon as possible, and no later than March 2026, and must seek to: • Increase sign-up to flood warning services and public readiness to act on them • Improve public use of risk maps and clarify agency roles and responsibilities in response and recovery, • Target outreach to hard-to-reach groups, including people with low literacy, limited digital access, or language barriers, as well as those with physical or mental health challenges, and • Embed flood education in schools and workplaces, on par with fire safety, with practical household guidance.’