Working Together To Tackle Flooding

New guidance was published today by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to ensure further joined up working between responsible bodies during a flood event.

Flood Risk Management Planning in Scotland: Arrangements for 2012 – 2016 details the involvement of local partnerships and advisory groups, as well as the planned co-ordination with River Basin Management Planning and land-use planning. The guidance sets out the principal arrangements that will support the delivery of flood risk management at the local level.

The guidance includes:

• Support for local authorities in providing local Flood Risk Management plans
• Further guidance on partnership working and advisory groups
• Content and product process of Flood Risk Management strategies

Launching the document at Scotland’s annual Flood Risk Management Conference, Environment and Climate Change Minister Stewart Stevenson said:

“We have made real progress in translating flooding legislation into action to reduce the damage and distress caused by flooding - including record levels of investment in flood protection by local authorities, the creation of a flood forecasting service for Scotland and research to improve our understanding of more natural flood risk approaches.

“Information is at the heart of our approach to flood risk management. Working together has many mutual benefits and partnership such as this is in the spirit of the Act. There is a clear road ahead and a route map that we will follow in partnership to ensure the best outcomes for the people of Scotland. Today’s document acknowledges that many have a role to play – but success can, and will, only be delivered collectively.”

Professor James Curran, SEPA Chief Executive, said:

“We now know the size of the problem we face as a nation. One in 22 homes and one in 13 businesses are at risk. Unchecked, we can expect climate change to increase the frequency and severity of extreme events including flooding. Flooding by its nature is too complex and its causes and consequences too complicated for any individual or single organisation to address the challenge alone.

“The arrangements developed by SEPA and government will help define sustainable policies and actions for flood risk management, and SEPA’s strategic overview will help all those responsible to set a course for action and decide how we, as a society, manage the risk of flooding in the future.”