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We recognise and pay tribute to the substantial effort undertaken by all emergency responders, as...
Recommendation
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.
Paragraph Reference
58
Government Response
Not Addressed
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
The Government recognises the crucial and valuable role of the third sector, flood action groups, community leaders and volunteers, in enabling communities to become more resilient to flood and coastal erosion risks. Community engagement is therefore part of the Government’s proposed reform to local flood risk management planning. The Government will work with communities and the third sector to ensure that future local flood risk management planning includes meaningful community engagement, building on and promoting best practice examples across the country. The Government expects all risk management authorities to undertake community engagement. The Government has committed to reviewing the role of the voluntary sector to improve their capacity and capability to help local communities in the event of a flood. As part of delivering the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy, the Environment Agency is reviewing information resources available directly to flood groups and communities. Following this analysis, the Environment Agency will work with communities to create the most appropriate and effective resources. The Environment Agency is also reviewing the engagement skills and associated training resources required to work with communities and in partnership with others. This review will result in a five-year plan to train staff as appropriate. The training materials will be made available to lead local flood authorities working with communities.
Timeline
Recommendation age
5.3 yrs
Report published
08 Feb 2021