LocalGov, Robin Mannering
The Government has underlined its commitment to the Flood and Water Management Act after announcing a package of measures initially pledged by the Labour administration.
Ministers have unveiled a £2m pot to help councils prepare preliminary flood risk assessments
Environment minister Richard Benyon yesterday announced a £2m pot to help local authorities deal with flood risk assessments, alongside a £1m draft strategy for building their skills in flood risk management. The strategy has been developed in partnership with the Local Government Association, the Environment Agency and other key partners.
The £2m funding for the preliminary flood risk assessments (PFRA) will help local flood authorities to produce assessments of local flood risk to comply with the Flood Risk Regulations before the December 2011 deadline.
The National Flood Emergency Framework – which provides guidance and advice for councils on planning for and responding to floods – was also published.
The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is planning two consultations on establishing national standards for sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) and transferring the ownership of private sewers to water companies, to be published later this year.
Mr Benyon said: ‘Dealing with flooding is a matter that this government takes very seriously and our Structural Reform Plan launched earlier this month commits us to implementing the findings of the Pitt Review to improve our flood defences.
‘Local authorities clearly have a vital role in managing flood risk and we aim to give them all the support we can, not only through funding for defences, but also by providing guidance on planning for a flood and training for staff.’
The Flood and Water Management Act received Royal Assent in April.