Understanding effective flood and coastal erosion risk governance in England and Wales
Exploring and evaluating governance and partnership approaches in flood and coastal erosion risk management.
Documents
Reports
Journey planners
Appendices
Project summary
This research assessed the effectiveness of current flood and coastal risk management (FCERM) governance in England and Wales and whether it is fit for purpose for the future in the face of increasing risks posed by climate change. The findings will be valuable for informing the implementation of the latest national FCERM strategies.
The research has also created practical guidance on partnership governance for policy makers and practitioners working within FCERM in England and Wales.
The project team presented a webinar on 31 January 2022 giving an overview of the project and the outputs developed.
Background
Governance is concerned with how decisions are taken and implemented, and how decision-makers are held accountable. Flooding and coastal erosion impact homes, businesses, health, transport, utilities and the environment. The governance of FCERM is complex, with public bodies, private organisations and community groups all playing a role. A broad approach is therefore essential for building and maintaining national resilience.
Method
We carried out around 60 interviews with policymakers and practitioners nationally and locally, as well as an in-depth analysis of policy and legislation.
The research aimed to learn from local case studies and selected partnerships/groups established to address different challenges facing FCERM. We identified examples of good practice and principles of effective governance, while observing where governance locally is both supported and constrained by multi-level governance in FCERM.
Results
Our findings highlight where different elements of governance could be constraining the effectiveness of FCERM.
These are grouped according to 7 main themes:
- governance coherence
- resources
- adaptation
- spatial planning
- insurance
- land use management
- nature recovery
Recommendations from the case studies include greater inter-partnership learning, along with continued sharing of good practices and reported challenges.
Lessons across partnerships are grouped into 5 main themes:
- structure and purpose
- actor relationships
- resources and capacities
- accountability and legitimacy
- alignment between governance levels
We also created practical guidance (in the form of journey planners) based on these themes, where partnerships can assess and learn how to improve their governance arrangements. This learning is essential for improving the effectiveness of current partnerships and partnership working in the future.
Conclusion
The reports and guidance provide a critical assessment of the current state of FCERM governance in England and Wales, identifying strengths, weaknesses and governance gaps, while highlighting opportunities for improving effectiveness.
Project information
Project manager: Kate Kipling, Flood Research team
This project was commissioned by the Environment Agency’s FCRM Directorate, as part of the joint Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Research and Development Programme.
Last updated 9 February 2022 + show all updates
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A webinar chaired by the project team has been added to the project summary. This covered an overview of the project as well as the outputs produced from the project. The webinar was recorded on 31 January 2022.
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The project outputs have been published under documents heading. The details paragraph has been removed and replaced by a project summary. The project is marked as complete.
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First published.