Action rather than words needed from Flood and Water Management Bill

The Government’s draft Flood and Water Management Bill must ensure there is action rather than endless consultation regarding the provision of adequate flood and coastal defences and increased river maintenance, the NFU said today.

In its response to the Government’s consultation on the draft Bill, the NFU has raised concerns about the new roles and responsibilities for flood risk management, in particular the strategic overview role given to the Environment Agency and the local flood leadership responsibilities assigned to county and unitary authorities.

NFU Deputy President Meurig Raymond said: “The draft Bill’s provisions are power-heavy and duty-light when it comes to the Environment Agency. We’re asking for the Bill to place an express duty on the Agency to provide adequate flood and coastal defences. We’ve got to have concrete action rather than endless consultation. That includes a reversal of the reduction in river maintenance we’ve seen since the Environment Agency took over responsibility for main rivers.”

The draft Bill also introduces significant changes to the reservoir safety regime, with a proposal that all reservoirs of 10,000 cubic metres or over should be brought into a new risk-based regime regulated by the Environment Agency. The NFU’s response raises concerns about the potential impact on small on-farm irrigation reservoirs.

Mr Raymond said: “If the risk of flooding from these reservoirs is negligible and the impact of any release would be negligible, then the level of regulation should reflect that. That is surely what a genuine risk-based approach is about. There is a real risk here that what the Government is encouraging with its water resources arm, it will make considerably less attractive through its flood management policies. Our aim is to ensure that doesn’t happen.”

A further major concern relates to the reform of Internal Drainage Boards mooted in Defra’s consultation. If taken up in their entirety, the proposals could severely curtail the ability of IDBs to carry out their local drainage and water level management functions, a crucial element in the wider flood and coastal erosion risk management toolkit.

“The Pitt Review was one of the widest ranging policy reviews ever carried out – if Pitt saw no grounds for recommending the type of reforms now being proposed, we believe we are on safe ground in questioning them,” Mr Raymond said.

Notes for Editors:

1. The draft Flood and Water Management Bill follows Sir Michael Pitt’s review of the severe floods of 2007, which saw floodwaters overwhelm urban and rural communities alike and caused untold damage to farming businesses.

2. Defra’s 12-week consultation on the draft Flood and Water Management Bill was issued on April 21 2009. A full copy of the consultation is available by clicking here.

3. The NFU’s full response to the consultation is available by clicking here. 

 

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