ICE responded to consultations opened by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the government’s Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy.
A working group comprised of representatives of both the ICE Maritime and Water Panels and chaired by Ben Hamer, spent two months reviewing and debating the various merits of the government’s proposed strategy and the funding mechanisms that it means to employ to achieve it.
The working group also received significant contributions from the ICE Regions, which allowed for a better understanding of how this strategy will impact the entire country.
ICE views spending on infrastructure generally, and Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management specifically, as a worthwhile investment for the tangible benefit of the Nation and not simply as a cost.
The consultation documents outline a significant shift in government policy. There is a clear move away from centralised funding towards a requirement for innovative, private sources of funding. This increases the pressure on local authorities to seek funding from alternative sources and to implement flood and water management strategies in their specific locations.
Although this shift to greater subsidiarity is not unwelcome, clarity must be provided by the national strategy and sub-national interests must still be considered.
View the full ICE consultation responses: