Short inquiry into the Welsh Government’s response to flooding in Wales

The Senedd’s Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee (“the Committee”) undertook a short inquiry into the Welsh Government’s response to the February 2020 flooding in Wales. The Committee considered:

-        whether the current level of funding provided by the Welsh Government for flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM), and for relevant authorities to provide emergency flood response, is sufficient;

-        whether more emergency funding will be necessary to assist local authorities to deal with flooding this winter;

-        whether local authorities are sufficiently supported to recover from a major flooding event, undertake any necessary investigations and make changes needed to manage the risk of a recurring event;

-        how effective the Wales Flood and Coastal Erosion Committee is in providing an advisory and coordinating role to Welsh Government.

The Committee received written evidence from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) and Local Authorities and these have been published. On 8 October 2020, the Committee held a scrutiny session with the Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs on the Welsh Government’s response to the flooding.

The Committee published its report: Flooding in Wales (PDF 744KB) on 9 December 2020 and the Welsh Government responded (PDF 449KB) on 27 January 2021.