Recommendation 31

HM Government Acknowledged

The government is responding to the recommendation at paragraph 102 and the recommendation at paragraph 109 together as the recommendations are closely linked. We agree with the need to ensure clear and well communicated sources of information. The government also agrees with the principle of establishing improved support and better coordination for communities at risk of flooding and other hazards. We will take these recommendations forward working through an action group of the Floods Resilience Taskforce in 2026. It will identify options to improve communication and coordination with the public around flood reporting and information, taking the committee’s recommendation at paragraph 102 as the starting point. The group will take account of the government’s Blueprint for a Modern Digital government, from which the Environment Agency is adopting a multi-channel approach to delivering flood risk information services to the public. By combining technologies such as online platforms and contact centres, the Environment Agency aims to design services around the needs of users, ensuring accessibility and relevance. Currently, the Environment Agency operates two key services: the Incident Hotline for reporting flooding, and Floodline, which provides both long-term and live flood risk information and advice. The information and advice are actively promoted through local and national awareness campaigns, as well as via news and social media during flood events. The Environment Agency launched its new online incident reporting tool this year, which enables the public to report incidents digitally. While it does not yet include flooding, it represents a promising platform that could be developed further to support these recommendations. A national support framework must be codesigned with relevant national and local, public, voluntary and community sector partners to ensure it meets communities’ needs. It will be important that any future framework does not carry the risk of creating poor service delivery options which don’t meet community needs, especially for those most vulnerable to hazard risks. The Environment Agency works with communities to help them understand their flood risk and actions they can take to protect themselves and their properties from flooding. We also encourage the establishment of community flood groups and development of community flood plans and support the testing and exercising of those plans. The Environment Agency also works with voluntary sector partners, including British Red Cross, Communities Prepared and the National Flood Forum, to increase the range and extent of support available to communities at risk from flooding. The resources, support, and free on-line and in person training for individuals and groups help communities prepare for, manage, and recover from a range of emergency types. This improves the confidence and capability of volunteer groups to manage a range of emergencies, building their community’s long-term resilience. We will take the committee’s recommendations on board as we build on this work with voluntary and community groups during 2026, to ensure that service delivery options meet community needs, especially for those more vulnerable to hazard risks.