Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans that Chief Resilience Officers will be appointed to each local resilience forum; when she plans to publish details of anti-flooding and drought resilience plans; and if she will make a statement.

The Government is committed, through its Resilience Framework, to working with the resilience sector to pilot the evolving nature of the Local Resilience Forum (LRF) Chair role. This includes considering a full-time permanent role occupied by an appropriately qualified and experienced individual who will become the Chief Resilience Officer for each LRF area.

With regards to local flood risk strategies and drought plans, these are developed by lead local flood authorities (unitary and county councils) and water companies respectively. Lead local flood authorities are required to have a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy which must include an assessment of local flood risk, objectives for managing local flood risk and measures proposed to meet these objectives. Water companies are required to have a drought plan, and to update it every five years, which states how it will maintain a secure water supply and protect the environment during dry weather and drought. These strategies and plans are developed in consultation with interested stakeholders and local communities. On 12 December 2022 the Environment Agency published online updated Flood Risk Management Plans to cover the period from 2021- 2027. These show how organisations, stakeholders and communities work together to manage flood risk in England.