Councils click into the future of planning
In town halls across the country, planning officers are racing to update their Local Plans — but this time, the process looks very different.
Flood defences get £2.65bn boost
31/03/2025 The Government has announced an investment of £2.65bn over two years to improve flood protection in local areas. |
Flood defence funding boost ‘tip of the iceberg’
05/02/2025 Defra's decision to top up funding for flood defences by £250m raises spending in this area to record levels but is still just ‘tip of the iceberg’, MPs say. |
DCN: Triple drainage board funding
29/01/2025 The District Councils' Network (DCN) has called on the Government to increase its funding to help local authorities struggling to pay drainage board levies. |
Major flooding incident in Somerset as residents evacuated
28/01/2025 A major incident was declared in Somerset yesterday as residents were evacuated from their homes due to flooding. |
Council announces extra support for flood-hit residents
10/01/2025 Manchester City Council has announced more support for local communities affected by the severe flooding on New Year's Day. |
Wallace & Gromit creators to make flooding awareness film
06/01/2025 Lincolnshire County Council has commissioned the animators behind Wallace and Gromit to create a film raising awareness of the dangers of flooding. |
Councils battle new year floods
02/01/2025 Councils in the north west of England are continuing to work around the clock following floods on New Year's Day. |
Pop-up flood awareness centre opens in Hull
26/11/2024 A pop-up flood awareness centre has opened in Hull to offer advice on how to prepare in the event of flooding. |
New scheme aims to improve mental health of flood-risk communities
04/11/2024 A ‘trailblazing’ project has launched to improve the mental health of communities at risk of flooding in West Yorkshire. |
Over 200,000 properties face flooding risk
16/10/2024 More than 200,000 properties in the South East are at risk of flooding, the Environment Agency has warned. |
Met Office launches climate tool for councils
10/10/2024 The Met Office has launched a new tool to help councils adapt to the climate emergency. |
Permission given for 7,000 homes in flood zones
09/10/2024 Planning permission has been granted to build more than 7,000 homes in the areas at the highest risk of flooding in England, a new report has revealed. |
£27m flood protection scheme gets the go-ahead
06/09/2024 Balfour Beatty has been awarded a £27m contract to deliver a flood protection scheme in Scotland on behalf of Perth and Kinross Council. |
Fire chiefs call for legal duty on extreme weather response
23/08/2024 The UK’s fire and rescue services have called for statutory duties to respond to extreme weather events in England. |
Flood management funding ‘not working’
15/08/2024 The Government’s failure to devise a fair funding system for flood defences means wider service cuts for at-risk communities, council bosses have warned. |
Flood councils in urgent £11m cash call
21/05/2024 Councils managing flood risks have urgently called for £11m cash to plug a ‘widening gap’ in Internal Drainage Board (IDB) funding. |
Government advisers urge overhaul of infrastructure funding
16/05/2024 Councils should be given more funding to play a greater role in developing infrastructure projects, according to Government advisers. |
Councils must adapt to extreme weather threat
24/01/2024 Cara Jenkinson, Cities Manager, Ashden discusses how local authorities can adapt to the threat of extreme weather. |
Report warns of 'lethal' climate change risks
17/01/2024 With London and the UK ‘underprepared’ for extreme weather and an absence of national leadership on climate, regional government must adapt at pace, a new report argues. |
PAC: New housing continues to be built in high risk areas
17/01/2024 More than half of councils rarely or never inspect a new housing development to check compliance with flood risk planning conditions, new PAC report says. |
Preparing for future floods
16/01/2024 After Storm Henk, APSE principal advisor Rob Bailey sets out some of the steps local authorities should take to improve flood preparedness. |
Government launches Storm Henk flood fund
08/01/2024 Local authority areas that have been hit by flooding in the wake of Storm Henk are now able to apply for financial support. |
Notts residents warned of record Storm Henk floods
05/01/2024 Nottinghamshire County Council has declared a major incident as Storm Henk causes near-record levels of flooding. |
Only 5% of public feels ready for climate change
15/11/2023 Most of the public feels unprepared for the effects of climate change following the extreme heat, flooding and storms of recent years, LGA poll reveals. |
Road conditions add flood risk to pothole ‘crisis’
27/09/2023 English councils received hundreds of compensation claims for flood damage in recent years as they struggled to maintain roadside drainage, according to study. |
Gloucestershire to hold ‘urgent’ flood summit
20/09/2023 Agencies are set to consider flood prevention plans for Gloucestershire after county councillors called for an ‘urgent’ meeting. |
The River Thames Scheme: infrastructure to deliver a greener future
26/07/2023 Carolyn McKenzie, director of Environment at Surrey County Council, discusses how the River Thames Scheme will respond to the challenges of climate change. |
Council chiefs call for more climate change support
08/06/2023 The Government must do more to help local areas adapt to climate change, councils in England have warned. |
Decision to pull £50m flood scheme ‘disappointing’
15/05/2023 The Government’s decision not to go ahead with a £50m flood prevention scheme has been described as ‘disappointing’ by council leaders. |
First communities to receive extra flooding support announced
05/04/2023 The first communities in England to receive better flood protection as part of the Government’s £100m Frequently Flooded Allowance have been announced. |
Planning overhaul needed for climate change ‘resilience’, think tank says
08/03/2023 Successfully adapting to climate change will need an overhaul of the planning system to create measurable local targets, according to researchers. |
Councils urged to plan better for floods
21/02/2023 Planning experts have called on local authorities to do more to embed climate resilience into new developments and local plans. |
Somerset councils declare ‘major incident’ in response to floods
18/01/2023 Local authorities across Somerset have joined the Environment Agency (EA) in declaring a major incident because of flood risk in the county. |
Auditors warn of workforce shortages in flooding sector
15/12/2022 Local areas in Wales are facing a shortage of workers with experience in dealing with the impact of floods, auditors say. |
Is our housing equipped to deal with the increasing threat of floods?
14/12/2022 Cat White, director, Planning at consultancy Turley, discusses the challenges for housebuilders and local authorities as climate-related flood risks increase. |
600,000 properties face flooding risk
29/11/2022 An estimated 600,000 properties face flooding in the near future without action to reduce urban runoff and improve drainage systems, research warns. |
Flood plans should touch on surface risks, councils told
22/11/2022 Local authorities must do more to prepare for flash flooding as official figures reveal tens of thousands of homes are built in at-risk areas. |
Planning guidance updated to boost ‘flood resilience’
26/08/2022 Changes to planning guidance will provide better flood protection for new homes, according to the Government. |
It’s time to take climate adaptation seriously
28/07/2022 It is no longer enough for councils to focus solely on net zero for their climate emergency plans, says Jo Wall. Adaptation should be key, embedded by whole-systems thinking. |
New £100m fund to help communities hit repeatedly by flooding
26/07/2022 Communities that have been repeatedly flooded over the past decade will benefit a new ring-fenced £100m fund. |
Defra's £2.6bn flood protection scheme has protected over 314,000 homes
12/04/2022 A £2.bn flood protection scheme has exceeded its original targets by 14,000 homes, the Government has announced. |
London flash flooding review launched
21/12/2021 An independent review examining the flash flooding that affected many parts of the capital in July 2021 has launched. |
Over one million homes at risk of flooding
23/11/2021 As many as 1.5 million households in the UK are at risk of flooding but are yet to take any action, the Environment Agency has said. |
Gove warned of climate change floods risk
22/11/2021 Local government secretary Michael Gove was today urged to align UK housing policy with climate change. |
Councils must battle inaction after announcing a climate emergency
15/11/2021 Gayle Monk outlines the key considerations councils must make to better address the situation. |
Adaptation in danger of being ‘undercooked’ at COP26
13/10/2021 The importance of adapting local communities to make them more resilient in the face of the climate emergency is not being taken seriously enough, the Environment Agency today warned. |
Tighter planning rules to protect communities from flood risk
29/07/2021 Councils should ensure all planning applications made in flood risk areas are referred to ministers for approval, under new guidance published today. |
Calls to declare a climate and ecological emergency
06/05/2021 A climate and ecological emergency should be declared to avoid a health and mental health 'catastrophe', the Royal College of Psychiatrists has warned today. |
Local areas to receive £150m to trial flooding responses
29/03/2021 Twenty-five areas across England have been selected to receive a share of a £150m fund to develop new flooding responses. |
The future of rental in local government
03/03/2021 LocalGov found out how the regional and local COVID-19 testing centres were able to be built in just 12 hours. |
MPs call for review of local authority flood funding
26/02/2021 The Government needs a better understanding on whether funding allocated to local authorities to prevent flooding is matching local risks, MPs have warned today. |
Living in a climate emergency
11/02/2021 Cllr Scott Patient outlines how Calderdale MBC is working with partners and communities to both reduce flood risk and cut the impacts of climate change – but help is needed, and the council is calling on the Government to unlock resources. |
MPs accuse Government of lacking clear flood-resilience targets
08/02/2021 Local authority leaders have welcomed a call from MPs urging the Government to provide councils with the resources they need to protect vulnerable communities from flooding. |
The Bay – a pivot to purpose
26/01/2021 Tim Pope and Sam Plum explain why local government reorganisation can be used as a catalyst for a new generation of councils that reflect their local economies and can lead the recovery. |
Eight in ten councils hit by climate-related incidents
14/12/2020 Eight in ten councils have suffered climate-related incidents in the last five years, new research has revealed. |
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Flood funding for councils may not be enough, watchdog finds
27/11/2020 The Government is unable to prove councils have enough funding for flood defences, a spending watchdog has discovered. |
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Majority of councils lack expertise to deal with flood risk, survey reveals
28/07/2020 Local authorities are facing a critical shortage of the expertise needed to plan for climate change, a new survey has found. |
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Calls to devolve £5.2bn flood defences funding
14/07/2020 Councils have called for funding for flood defences to be devolved to local areas, after the Government announced its new long-term plan to tackle flooding in England. |
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Budget 2020: Flood-hit areas to share £200m defence fund
11/03/2020 The money will go to 25 areas based on criteria including repeated flooding. |
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Former 'red wall' support devolution to tackle climate change
10/03/2020 Three-quarters of former ‘red wall’ seats believe councils need extra funding and powers to deal with the climate emergency, a new survey has revealed. |
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Flood infrastructure funding increased by only £3m over decade
26/02/2020 Central Government funding for existing flood infrastructure has only increased by £3m over the last decade, according to a new analysis. |
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Environment Agency chief executive calls for more flood resilience
25/02/2020 A new ‘twin track’ approach focused on better flood protection and resilience is needed to deal with the climate emergency, the chief executive of the Environment Agency says. |
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70,000 homes ‘at risk’ of having no flood insurance
21/02/2020 A think tank has warned that there are around 70,000 homes that are at risk of having no flood insurance because they are built in high-risk flooding zones. |
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Government announces financial support for flood-hit areas
19/02/2020 The Government has announced councils in areas affected by recent flooding will receive grants to cover the cost of council tax and business rates reliefs. |
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Government activates emergency fund in the wake of Storm Dennis
17/02/2020 Local government secretary Robert Jenrick today activated the Government’s emergency financial assistance scheme for areas affected by Storm Dennis. |
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Repairs begin on Brislington flood defence scheme
03/02/2020 A £2m scheme to protect more than 100 properties in Bristol from flooding has begun. |
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From grey to green: The role of SuDS in Britain's green spaces
31/01/2020 Ian Geeson describes why green spaces are a key element of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and the role they play in helping Britain to avoid flooding. |
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Council advises residents to ‘clean up safely’ after flash floods
20/12/2019 Cornwall Council has urged residents affected by the flash flooding in the last 24 hours to clean up safely and keep evidence of flood damage. |
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Millions more to be affected by flooding as Greenland's ice melt faster than expected
11/12/2019 More than 40 million people than expected will be affected by coastal flooding by 2100 a new study has revealed. |
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Future Forum North: Rotherham flood response hampered by scandal
06/12/2019 The child abuse scandal in Rotherham continues to cast a long shadow over the work of the council - even affecting its work to tackle last month’s flooding. |
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£131m sea defences given the go-ahead
05/12/2019 Permission for sea defences in Portsmouth has been granted in what has been described as an ‘important milestone’ for the city's flood protection measures. |
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Herefordshire councils reimbursed for flooding costs
02/12/2019 Local authority areas in Herefordshire are to be reimbursed for costs incurred as a result of flooding. |
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A more holistic approach to tackling flood risk
21/11/2019 The only way to mitigate against flooding effectively is to understand how the whole, complex system works – not by making rules one development at a time, as Nick Fraser explains. |
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Change law to enable volunteers to respond to disasters, Red Cross says
20/11/2019 The British Red Cross is calling for the law to be changed so that voluntary groups are included in planning responses to emergencies and disasters. |
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Councils in flood-hit areas to receive £500 per affected house
13/11/2019 Local authorities in areas that have experienced flooding will be given £500 for each affected house to help with recovery efforts under the recovery scheme. |
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Emergency Bellwin scheme activated in response to flooding
11/11/2019 Councils will be able to apply to be reimbursed for costs incurred as part of their response to the heavy rainfall that has hit the regions in recent days. |
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Whitehall announces over £60m in flood defence funding
11/09/2019 Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers has announced £62m of funding to help protect communities from floods. |
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Three projects secure funding to increase flood resilience
23/07/2019 Three projects will receive up to £700,000 each to research and test ways to make homes more flood resilient. |
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UK needs £1bn a year to combat flood threat
09/05/2019 A long-term strategy to ensure infrastructure is resilient to flooding and coastal change by 2050 has been unveiled today by the Environment Agency. |
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Whitehall launches consultation on local funding of flood defences
16/01/2019 The Government today announced that it wishes to ‘begin a conversation’ on increasing local funding for flood and coastal erosion management. |
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A thirst for water management
09/08/2018 Neill Robinson-Welsh explains how ‘smart’ non-potable water technology can simultaneously help mitigate flood and water stress. |
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Housing should be ‘more resilient’ to flood damage, architects say
04/05/2018 The Government needs to help homes and communities become more resilient to flood damage rather than focus on keeping the water out, charity says. |
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Belfast appoints resilience commissioner
10/04/2018 Belfast City Council has appointed a new commissioner to help the city prepare for any scenario that might prevent it from functioning properly. |
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District councils could be handed flood risk management responsibilities
16/01/2018 Local communities could have more say in how rivers are managed after a consultation which aims to transfer ‘flood risk management activities’ to district councils. |
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Evidence supporting natural flood management published
31/10/2017 The Environment Agency has for the first time published all of the evidence about the role of natural flood management in reducing flood risk in one place. |
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£30m flooding defence scheme announced
27/07/2017 A Yorkshire council has welcomed the Government’s announcement of £30m of funding for a major flood defence scheme. |
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Nine tenths of England’s floodplains ‘no longer work properly’
01/06/2017 A shocking 90% of the country’s floodplains are not fit for purpose, according to a new study. |
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Whitehall’s approach to sustainable drainage ‘sub-standand’, MPs warn
27/04/2017 MPs have criticised the Government’s ‘sub-standard’ approach to sustainable drainage (SuDs) for failing to protect communities from flood risk. |
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Whitehall ‘missing opportunities’ to tackle ‘ineffective’ flood defences
24/01/2017 MPs have accused the Government of ‘missing opportunities’ to act on an environment committee’s report warning of ‘ineffective’ flood management. |
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Lack of Whitehall policy preventing ‘natural' flood management methods
22/12/2016 The lack of a clear government policy is holding up 'natural' methods of flood management, according to campaigners. |
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Here comes the rain – are you prepared?
07/12/2016 Ian Carr outlines how councils can ensure they have an effective flood response plan in place. |
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Councils warn people to prepare for impact of flash flooding
23/11/2016 Council leaders have issued advice on how to prepare for flash flooding, as Storm Angus continues to hit parts of the country. |
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MPs demand ‘overhaul’ of Environment Agency’s flood management role
02/11/2016 MPs have demanded a complete ‘overhaul’ of the Environment Agency’s role in flood management—a move environmentalists have dubbed a ‘terrible idea’. |
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Councils reveal extent of flooding last winter
03/10/2016 More than 15,000 homes and businesses in the north of England were hit by floods last winter, according to the latest survey. |
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Council accuses Government of not taking the risk of flooding 'seriously enough'
09/09/2016 The Government has set aside £12.5m for new temporary flood defences in England after finding more than 500 key infrastructure sites were still vulnerable. |
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Council considers using parks as flood defences
01/08/2016 Sheffield City Council is consulting on proposals to divert floodwater into parks and woodlands in the event of a severe storm. |
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Councils must ‘work together’ to tackle threat of flooding, environment agency urges
06/07/2016 More than five million properties in England are at risk from flooding, according to the chief executive of the environment agency (EA). |
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Flash flooding disrupts final hours of EU referendum
24/06/2016 Poor weather caused disruption in parts of the country as voters made their way to polling booths. |
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Local authorities warn of flash floods caused by global warming
16/06/2016 Councils across the UK have launched awareness campaigns to highlight the devastating impact of flash floods. |
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Councils let down by flood protection funding
09/06/2016 Local authorities are not receiving the necessary support to prepare for or mitigate the impacts of flooding, a new report has warned. |
