Flooding and drought are ‘Cinderella’ issues, report says

The next government should appoint a Cabinet champion on flooding and drought, concludes a new report from the All Party Parliamentary Group for Excellence in the Built Environment.

In its report, Living with water, the APPG’s Commission of Inquiry says that “despite the increasing challenges, flood resilience and water management still remains a Cinderella issue at the highest political level, though its importance is no less than that of transport and power and it should have the same political priority as the development of High Speed 2”.

The group is calling for a Cabinet champion to establish a longer term vision for delivering a coordinated, long-term flood and water management strategy to protect homes and infrastructure against the increased flooding – whilst at the same time protecting against increased water scarcity caused by drought.

The APPG for Excellence in the Built Environment is supported by the Construction Industry Council.

The Group’s chairman, Oliver Colvile, the Conservative MP for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport, said: “Increased urbanisation and climate change is likely to increase the risk of flooding and our entire national infrastructure including water supply and our drainage network is under threat, which poses both societal and economic disruption. Failure to take the issue of comprehensive water management much more seriously will have severe economic impacts on UK plc.”

The Environment Agency says that 5.2 million homes are currently at risk of flooding, which is one in six. The 36-page report says: “We need a fundamental change in how we view flood management, from flood defence where we protect ourselves, to one of resilience, living with and making space for water.” 

It recommends that building Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) – which mimic nature including ponds and shales – should be a key part of the strategy and also provide other community benefits such as enriching the environment.

The report argues that the government was mistaken in its decision not to implement Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, which would have forced local authorities to plan for the adoption and maintenance of SuDS through council-run SuDS Approval Bodies.

Tony Burton, chair of the Construction Industry Council and a member of the APPG Commission of Inquiry, said: “We have what is described as the most disconnected water management system in the world. Too many organisations have responsibility for aspects of water and drainage and they are under no obligation to cooperate even where it is essential to deliver resilience. We find it particularly disappointing that there will no longer be a requirement for setting up SuDS Approval Bodies which would have drawn up standards.”

Key recommendations include:

• Strong leadership: Government needs to foster clear leadership on water issues and appoint a Cabinet champion to create a longer term vision for flood and water management ring-fence funding to do so.
• More cash for maintenance: There needs to be even stronger emphasis on maintenance funding to ensure that existing flood protection assets are sustained.
• Retrofitting for resilience: Government should undertake an investment programme to retrofit towns and cities to make them more resilient, as an additional aspect of their flood defence spending.
• Better design standards: We need to reduce water runoff from every building, whether new or existing – helped with new Building Regulations for designing for flood resistance and resilience.
• Using insurance to incentivise resilience: The insurance industry needs to incentivise improving the flood resilience of properties, rather than simply reinstating structures to inadequate pre-flooding standards. 
• A bigger role for professionals in the built environment: A new Construction Industry Council grouping which could act as a sounding board through which to channel flooding policy and promote greater coordination of professionals.