As a result of the widespread flooding incidents in 2007, new legislation was developed to combat the growing risk of flooding in the UK. This legislation is called the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 which sets out a number of duties to councils. Below is a list of government legislation:

Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (PFRA)

As a Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) we're required by the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 and Flood Risk Regulations 2009 to produce a Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (PFRA). The PFRA highlights areas of potentially significant flood risk.  Flood risk from the following sources were considered for the assessment:

• Surface water
• Groundwater
• Ordinary watercourses (Fluvial)
• Canals

This assessment provides a high level summary of significant flood risk, based on historic information and regional data.

Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS)

For its statutory responsibilities as a Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA), we've developed a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS).  This document has been developed to better understand and better manage flood risk within the borough, as well as formalising and developing our partnerships in respect of flood risk, and progressing the high level screening which was introduced in the PFRA.

The strategy clearly illustrates Warrington's links with other key risk management authorities that are responsible for managing aspects of flooding. It also highlights the LLFA's role in managing flood risk locally and in the development and maintenance of a structured local flood risk strategy.

Strategic Flood Risk Assessment

The National Planning Policy Framework requires an assessment of flood risk to be carried out to an appropriate degree at all levels of the planning process. The Warrington level 1 SFRA was published in 2009 and is the second tier in a hierarchy of flood risk documents. 

Asset register

Section 21 of the Flood and Water Management Act states that Lead Local Flood Authorities have a duty to maintain a register of assets.  The council must establish and maintain:

• A register of structures or features which, in our opinion, are likely to have a significant effect on a flood risk in its area
• A record of information about each of those structures or features, including information about ownership and state of repair
• The lead local flood authority must arrange for the register to be available for inspection at all reasonable times