Supporting flood and coastal erosion risk management through partnerships: key lessons

In the wake of recent and substantial flooding in the UK (winter 2019 to 2020) and the launch of the revised national FCERM strategies in England and Wales in July 2020, this research provides a timely assessment of the effectiveness of current FCERM governance and whether it is fit for purpose for the future. This research draws from around 60 interviews with policymakers and practitioners operating nationally and locally, carried out between May 2019 and February 2020, as well as in-depth policy and legal analysis. This report focuses on governance at the local level and, in particular, on the role of FCERM partnerships. Five selected case studies were chosen to reflect different types of partnerships evident in England and Wales, including the Cumbria Strategic Flood Partnership, Fairbourne Moving Forwards, Severn Estuary Coastal Group, Northumbria Integrated Drainage Partnership and Lincolnshire Flood Risk and Water Management Partnership. A common evaluation framework was applied to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each of these, related to the process, outcome and impact of partnership governance.
The research also involved a review of international examples of partnerships related to water resources, catchment management, flood risk and climate change, to identify important lessons for success, organised into themes related to: i) structure and purpose of the partnership, ii) actor relationships, iii) resources and capacities, iv) partnership accountability and legitimacy, v) composition and partnership diversity, and vi) alignment with other levels of governance. Assimilating these insights with those identified through the case studies, the report establishes a set of lessons for effective governance, alongside potential challenges, related to different types of FCERM partnerships.

Report: FRS17186/2