Why flood risk management isn't managing flooding

In the latest issue of Flood Industry magazine, Dr Phiala Mehring and Kerry Halfpenny examine the structural challenges within flood risk management, arguing that policy fragmentation prevents the system from effectively managing flooding. Under the Flood and Water Management Act, responsibilities are split across multiple bodies, including the Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authorities, water companies, and internal drainage boards. The authors contend that because flood water does not respect these physical and organisational borders, vulnerabilities and accountabilities frequently fall through the cracks.

From a community perspective, this division creates a system where ownership of outcomes is diluted, and delivery remains inconsistent. Flooding is further disaggregated into categories like fluvial, pluvial, groundwater, and sewer flooding, each operating under separate governance and funding mechanisms. This isolation can lead to increased risks; for example, the 2020 code of practice for property flood resilience fails to consider basement flats despite high flood-related mortality rates in those environments. This lack of a single point of contact forces affected residents to navigate the complex system themselves to establish who holds responsibility for failures like blocked ditches or malfunctioning pumping stations.

The authors state that the core issue is not a failure of individual organisations to fulfil their defined roles, but rather a lack of governance at the points where these distinct responsibilities interact. To close these policy gaps, they recommend introducing clearer system-level accountability for overall outcomes rather than individual components. They also call for strengthened cross-boundary governance mechanisms between Risk Management Authorities, a shift towards whole-system thinking that connects asset and land management, and a focus on practical solutions rather than bureaucratic processes. Ultimately, they conclude that flood risk management will continue to fall short until policy integrates these separate systems into a unified approach.

Read the full article here: https://magazine.floodindustry.com/books/Issue-12-MayJune2026_d/#p=8