Living with Rivers and the Sea - Government Response to the Flood Management Policy Review

The Government Response to the Flood Management Policy Review takes account of the wide ranging consultations with stakeholders in both the public and private sectors and with the public.

The Response was formulated and agreed prior to the serious flooding events of 16 August 2008 and is therefore not reactive.

As a strategic document it provides a policy framework to guide the direction of flood management policy for the next 10 years and beyond, taking account of the implementation milestones in flood risk assessment and management required by the EU Floods Directive.  It will lead to the roll out of  flexible policies to take up any lessons learned from recent flooding events and  will allow for further public participation /consultation in flood management planning

The severity of the 2008 flooding and the consequences for those affected demonstrate the need to work pro-actively in partnership to improve awareness, preparedness, and resilience to often unforeseeable events.