Welsh Government launches flood risk management toolkit

One in six properties in Wales are currently at risk of flooding, which is estimated to cost Wales around £200m a year in damages.

The Welsh Government developed the toolkit to help local authorities improve their flood risk management and better advise the public on what they should do in the event of a flood.

Research into the effectiveness of recent flood risk management schemes, including three pilot flood alleviation projects in Prestatyn, Barry and Pwllheli, and a sample of the European Regional Development funded programme was carried out to create the toolkit.

According to Mr Griffiths, managing flood risk is a priority for the Welsh Government, which has allocated more than £109m for flood and coastal risk management over the next three years.

In addition, The Welsh Government is planning to supplement this budget with almost £50m from the European Regional Development Fund over a five year period.

Mr Griffiths said: “We recognise that as the climate changes and sea level rises, flood and coastal erosion risk is set to increase significantly over time.

“Every local authority in Wales is at risk of flooding and it is vital that we all work together to maximise awareness of effective flood risk management.”

Advice and information on getting communities involved with flood risk management is also provided in the toolkit, which can be used by councils to work with local groups and communities.

More information on the scheme can be found here.

Carys Matthews