Defra ‘Independent report – David Jenkins report

Surface water and drainage: review of responsibilities

Review of the arrangements for determining responsibility for surface water and drainage assets.

In October 2019, we commissioned an independent review of the arrangements for determining responsibility for surface water and drainage assets. The review was carried out by David Jenkins.

The government immediately accepted 12 of the recommendations on publication in August 2020. It has now considered the review in full and has accepted 24 out of the 28 recommendations.

See the government response to the review, published in July 2021.

Policy paper   Surface water management action plan – July 2021 progress update

Actions the government and others are taking to manage the risk of surface water flooding.

This surface water management action plan sets out the steps the government is taking, with the Environment Agency and others, to manage the risk of surface water flooding.

It covers a number of actions to both improve our understanding of the risks and strengthen delivery. These include:

• improving risk assessment and communication
• making sure infrastructure is resilient
• clarifying responsibilities for surface water management
• joining up planning for surface water management
• building local authority capacity

See the government progress update on the action plan, published in July 2021.’