4th Report – Flood resilience in England

Key findings

• 6.3 million properties in England face flood risk, rising to 90% increase in highest-risk river/coastal properties and 200% increase in surface water flooding by the 2080s under climate change scenarios.
• The Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy is non-binding; Risk Management Authorities merely 'have regard to' it, resulting in inconsistent implementation, variable protection standards, and unequal coverage across communities.
• Surface water flooding—the most frequent form—affects 4.6 million properties but remains poorly mapped, inconsistently planned, and underestimated in development decisions due to fragmented responsibilities between Environment Agency and Lead Local Flood Authorities.
• Catchment-based planning, essential for integrated water management, lacks statutory powers, stable funding, or coordinating authority; current partnerships are voluntary and discretionary, limiting their impact.
• The National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) lacks detail, funding commitments, and clear delivery mechanisms; the proposed statutory duty must define measurable resilience standards tiered by risk type and geographic context.

Recommendations

• Amend the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 to establish a statutory duty for all Risk Management Authorities to act in accordance with a strengthened, enforceable Flood and Coastal Erosion Management Strategy; assign Lead Local Flood Authorities statutory duties with clear accountability within two years and adequate sustained resources.
• Empower the Environment Agency to oversee delivery across all flood sources, monitor compliance with National Adaptation Programme targets, and coordinate activity across Risk Management Authorities and central departments.
• By 2027, develop and adopt clear, measurable national flood resilience standards defining expected resilience levels based on area/property characteristics; embed standards in NAP with long-term funding commitments extending beyond six-year cycles; tier standards by risk type and geographic context (urban vs rural, critical infrastructure vs residential).
• By 2027, ensure surface water flood risk is consistently quantified and fully integrated into national flood risk assessments; complete standardisation of surface water mapping and modelling by end of 2025; develop a national framework for data sharing on drainage and sewerage infrastructure between water regulators, water companies, and Defra.
• Mandate Regional Flood Risk Management Partnerships to lead integrated water management with defined statutory responsibilities and sustained funding; coordinate flood risk, water quality, and environmental goals at catchment scale; give catchment partnerships statutory authority and stability.
• Move Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 forward to establish a statutory framework for sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) approval, adoption, and funding; strengthen National Planning Policy Framework requirements for SuDS at scale, particularly for retrofit schemes.
• Integrate flood resilience into planning and infrastructure policy; restrict persistent development in high-risk areas; improve flood risk assessments and enforcement; embed catchment-wide perspectives in planning decisions.
• Support communities, local authorities, and voluntary flood action groups with sustainable funding, training, and formal recognition; align community efforts with national and local Flood Risk Management Plans.
• Stabilise insurance through mechanisms like Flood Re and incentivise property resilience via schemes like Build Back Better and Flood Performance Certificates; ensure targeted government interventions for access and proactive investment.

Key actors

Environmental Audit Committee, Environment Agency, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), Lead Local Flood Authorities, Risk Management Authorities, Flood Re, River Severn Partnership, National Flood Forum