Steps to developing a local flood risk management strategy

Recent flood events (e.g. Section 19 reports)

Updated flood risk mapping or modelling

Evidence in support of development planning (e.g. FRAs)

Other studies considering flood risk management in your area

Are there other new strategic studies in the local area in linked areas? e.g. biodiversity, transport, air quality, open spaces

Sources: Do you understand the local flood risk issues?

Sources: What types of flood risk predominate?

Sources: Do you understand interlinkages with LLFAs located upstream or downstream? Are you working with these authorities?

Sources: Do you need to consider interlinkages with tidal or coastal flood risk?

Sources: Do you need to consider interlinkages with artificial sources of flood risk e.g. reservoirs or canals?

Sources: Do you need to consider interlinkages with groundwater and sewer flooding?

Sources: Do you understand interlinkages with Main River flood risk? Do these need investigating?

Sources: What will be the impact of the latest climate change projections on flood risk?

Sources: Are there places where the flood risk mapping does not seem to make sense or match the understanding of local flood risk?

Receptors: Do you understand what is at flood risk and where? Will planned future development increase the receptors? Check relevant sequential test(s)

Receptors: Can you prioritise these in terms of level of flood risk and vulnerability?

Receptors: What actions have been taken previously? Do you understand their effectiveness?

Have you reviewed all the other flood plans or programmes for your local area e.g. WMP, SFRAs, Multiagency Flood Plans, DWMP, FRMP, RFCC

Have you reviewed the flood plans or programmes for authorities upstream or downstream?

What existing flood risk assets or programmes do yourselves or others own in the local area?

Are your assets registers up-to-date/sufficient?

How effective are they?

What maintenance/refurbishment/further investment is needed?

Have you reviewed the Local Plan and the flood risk policy within it?

What are their functions in the local area?

Have you engaged with authorities upstream and downstream of your local authority area?

How are you working with them?

Are there actions being taken by other RMAs that could also help/be adapted to help reduce local flood risk?

Have you collaborated on your understanding of risk with other RMAs?

Have you included a summary of the understanding of flood risk in your local area?

Have you outlined who is involved in the management of local flood risk in the area and their responsibilities?

Have you provided validated mapping/information that details the sources, pathways and receptors of local flood risk?

Have you highlighted any known weaknesses or issues with your understanding of local flood risk?

Are there objectives or actions needed within the strategy that help further the understanding of local flood risk? If so take forward to 'set objectives'.

What are their plans to reduce flood risk?

Can you align with their objectives (or vice versa)

What are the FRMP2 national and local objectives in your area? Check for alignment with the FCERM action plan

What are their plans?

Could you work together to also reduce flood risk/maximise collective outcomes?

Could you lever additional funding or resources by working together?

Has your authority declared a climate emergency? How will the strategy reflect this?

What their plans?

Are objectives in adjoining communities/the same river basin broadly consistent?

For example, resilience measures, adaptive measures

Are your objectives proportionate to the level of flood risk?

Do your flood risk management objectives align with wider (including non-flood risk) objectives of the LLFA? Or other RMAs?

Are your objectives achievable?

How will you measure the effectiveness of your objectives?

Have you set a timeframe for achieving each objective?

Is there a good range of social, economic and environmental objectives?

How do your objectives align with Local and Regional Planning Policy?

How do your objectives align to the national strategy? You could focus on one particular area.

Have you clearly set out your objectives in the strategy?

Have you clearly expressed how the objectives are prioritised?

Have you identified the partners you need to work with to realise the objectives?

Have the measures you have implemented been effective in terms of reducing flood risk; helped achieve other local/partner aims; been good value for money?

Should you carry any actions over? Do they need modifying?

FRMP2 and FCERM Action Plan etc.

Do you need to include actions to help you improve your understanding of local flood risk?

Have you considered the full range of potential measures that you could use to manage local flood risk? E.g. traditional defences; natural flood management; property level resilience; development planning

Have you collaborated on measures and options with other RMAs?

Multiple benefits

Maximise customers

Public funding (e.g. FDGiA)

Other sources of funding (flood risk) e.g. RFCC, water companies

Other sources of funding (non-flood risk) e.g. highways, water companies, recreation, education, private sector, climate emergency declaration funds, etc.

Have you collaborated on funding and appraisal with other RMAs?

Have you obtained appropriate cost information for the preferred measures?

Have you calculated or described the flood risk benefits (e.g. flood damages avoided)

Have you calculated or listed the wider environment, social or economic benefits?

Have you clearly set out the measures to achieve the objectives in your strategy?

Have you clearly expressed how the measures have been prioritised?

Have you identified the partners you need to work with to realise the measures/actions?

Have you collaborated on your implementation plan with other RMAs?

Is it clearly prioritised with defined timescales?

Are responsibilities clearly assigned? 

Does it align with the priorities of your partners?

Have you clearly set out the implementation plan?

Does this align with your partners?

How will you report progress?

What would trigger a review of your objectives, measures or implementation plan? e.g. a flood event, change in policy, change in local priorities

Do you need periodic review?

Have you clearly set out your monitoring and review process?