12 December 2008
By Alex Klaushofer
Councils lack the funding and expertise to make adequate preparations against the kinds of floods that devastated some areas in 2007, a survey of local authorities in England shows.
Some 60% of councils feel they don't have sufficient funds to invest in flood defences, according to the survey, carried out by the Local Government Association and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Around a quarter of the 257 councils surveyed said that finding staff with the right kind of technical skills and expertise to combat flooding was also a problem.
The findings come as the government is due to make public its response to the Pitt report, which recommended that local authorities take the lead role in managing flood risk in their areas.
But according to the LGA, councils suffer from a lack of clarity about where the responsibility for flood prevention lies, with the different organisations that manage drains, rivers and water plants failing to work adequately together.
'We simply cannot continue to have a situation where it is not clear who is responsible for dealing with vitally important functions such as drainage,' said Paul Bettison, chair of the LGA's environment board.
'Councils want to take the lead in protecting people and property from flooding, but without the full co-operation of other agencies they will be effectively operating with one arm tied behind their backs,' he added.
The LGA wants councils to have the flexibility to draw on expertise from across local government. 'It is also essential local authorities can take on their leadership role without being tied up with unnecessary red tape,' said Bettison.
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