Flooding
Building a resilient local future
George Karagiannis discusses how to improve local practitioners’ capacity when it comes to disaster risk resilience and response.
Why flood levy’s no longer affordable
As places reel from the impact of recent floods, Cllr Paul Redgate says the Government must deliver a fairer and sustainable funding system for Internal Drainage Boards.
PAC: New housing continues to be built in high risk areas
More than half of councils rarely or never inspect a new housing development to check compliance with flood risk planning conditions, a new report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has said.
Why climate change is health’s biggest threat
The health risks from climate change are considerable, but directors of public health are ideally placed to ensure initiatives are implemented in the right way, to the right people, say Greg Fell and Darrell Gale.
Oxfordshire’s response to the flooding challenge
Stephen Chandler and Carole Mackay describe Oxfordshire CC’s response to the recent floods, working alongside the Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum.
Government flood fund activated
The Government has announced funding will be made available for councils to help communities affected by flooding in the wake of Storm Henk.
Councils mobilise to tackle Storm Henk flooding
Nottinghamshire CC has declared a major incident as the county has been hit by near-record levels of flooding.
UK councils in distress – What can we learn from ‘Down Under’?
Recently returned from a fact-finding trip to Australia, Ian Owen describes how councils in the UK could learn a thing or two from their Australian counterparts’ transformational approach.
Adapting to London’s changing climate challenge
London and its residents are already being impacted by climate change, says Cllr Kieron Williams. He shares some of the approaches being taken to ensure the city can continue to thrive.
Dealing with weather’s extremes
Maria Van-Hove and Dr Charlotte Parbery-Clark look at how local authorities in the UK can support actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change, highlighting examples of good practice .
Kensington and Chelsea must lead the way on safer, greener homes
Cllr Kim Taylor-Smith outlines progress with creating the UK’s largest eco-neighbourhood at the Lancaster West estate – where the Grenfell tragedy took place.
What a wonderful world
Creative thinking allied with strong team and partnership working underpinned Stroud's emergency planning response to a one in 1,963-year flood event, says Kathy O'Leary.
Councils call for more climate change support
The Government must do more to help local areas adapt to climate change, councils in England have warned.
Hunt is on for council heroes
The Local Government Association’s annual competition that puts the best talent in the sector to the test, has returned for 2023. Georgia Goddard reports from the first Local Government Challenge of the year.
Planning for resilience
Localis’s Sandy Forsyth outlines the case for a national plan to ensure place-based best practice approaches to climate adaptation become the norm across the country.
Planning for permacrisis
Ann McGauran questions emergency planner and author of bestseller When the Dust Settles Professor Lucy Easthope about the quality of local resilience, pressures on the workforce, and what keeps her awake at night.
Resolving surface tensions
Greater collaboration across central and local government and wider industry to embed sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) is needed to tackle blight of flash floods, writes Localis chief executive, Jonathan Werran.
A dam fine idea
As any MJ Towers hack will tell you: it’s not ‘silly season’ until we see stories about beavers and otters. Except that it may not be that silly this year…
It’s time to take climate adaptation seriously
It is no longer enough for councils to focus solely on net zero for their climate emergency plans, says Jo Wall. Adaptation should be key, embedded by whole-systems thinking.
Reducing Hull’s flood risk
Mark Jones describes how the Living with Water partnership has protected the area since 2007’s flood damage across Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire.
