Letter from Emma Hardy MP to Alan Lovell, Chair of the Environment Agency

This letter from Minister Hardy sets out the government's priorities for the Environment Agency's review of the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England.

It highlights the need to update the current strategy to reflect improved understanding of flood risk, including surface water flooding. The strategy should also be aligned with recent government policy developments including reforms to flood funding rules, the water white paper and the UK Resilience Action Plan.

The revised strategy should strengthen resilience for communities, particularly those most vulnerable, and supports delivery of effective flood and coastal risk management. Priorities include:

• improving public engagement
• enhancing coordination across partners
• supporting surface water management
• advancing modelling and data
• promoting long-term, place-based approaches