LGA responds to Environmental Audit Committee report on flood resilience

Responding to the Environmental Audit Committee's report on flood resilience in England, Cllr Arooj Shah, Chair of the LGA's Neighbourhoods Committee said: "Councils are on the frontline of action in severe weather and play a vital role in keeping residents safe and informed, and supporting their recovery from flooding.

"Successful flood and coastal erosion risk management requires increased cooperation and cross-border partnerships, and the Environment Agency and water companies need to factor in more frequent and senior engagement with local authorities into their business model immediately.

"We need greater flexibility and transparency from government funding support schemes. Funding mechanisms designed for "once in every ten years" flooding events are not fit for purpose, and the financial pressures on local government have an impact on their ability to address issues such as flooding as much as they'd like."