Flintshire Local Flood Risk Management Strategy

Under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, councils that act as Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) must have a Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS). The strategy does not replicate or replace the National Flood Risk Management Strategy as prepared by the Welsh Government and available for reference at www.gov.wales.

This strategy sets out how Flintshire County Council (FCC), in its role as Lead Local Flood Authority for Flintshire, and partner authorities will work together to manage flood risk. The current LFRMS can be found in the Useful Documents Section of this webpage.

The LFRMS helps us to identify flood risk from: 

• surface water after heavy rainfall
• groundwater
• ordinary watercourses, such as small streams and ditches
• Identify communities most at risk of flooding using the Communities at Risk Register (CaRR). This is based on national flood modelling.

After flooding events, we also carry out local flood investigations. The results help us decide which areas should be prioritised for action.

All this information is brought together in our LFRMS Action Plan. This plan is updated every year and shows what progress has been made in the last 12 months. The current LFRMS Action plan can be found in the Useful Documents Section of this webpage.

Flood Mitigation Schemes in Flintshire

Flintshire County Council do not receive a set budget each year to build flood mitigation measures. Instead, we must apply for funding from the Welsh Government Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Programme. A list of all funding allocations as part of this programme is published on the Welsh Governments website each year (www.gov.wales). This list is where you can find all the projects in Flintshire which have been allocated funding in the current financial year.

How the funding process works:

• Annual applications:
  Each year, we apply for funding for specific flood risk projects.
• Approval:
• Applications are reviewed and must be approved by the Welsh Government Minister.
• Cost sharing:
  Welsh Government usually pays 85% of the cost of approved schemes. The council pays the remaining 15%, often through borrowing.

We use different approaches to reduce flood risk, depending on local needs

• Structural works
  Physical measures such as flood walls, embankments, and improvements to culverts and drainage systems.
• Natural Flood Management
  Nature-based solutions, such as leaky dams and wetland creation, which help slow the flow of water and reduce flooding.
• Small-scale works
  A small-scale works grant allows us to fix minor assets related to local flooding incidents that do not qualify for larger funding programmes.
• Coastal flood risk management
  In coastal areas, additional funding is available for large sea defence and coastal protection schemes.

How flood schemes are delivered

Once funding is approved, flood schemes go through several stages. Each stage must be agreed with the Welsh Government.

These stages include:

• Developing a business case:
  We assess costs, benefits, flood risk reduction, and environmental impacts.
• Design and permissions:
  We prepare detailed designs and apply for planning permission and environmental consents.
• Construction:
  The work is carried out by contractors or council teams.
• How long schemes take:
  Flood mitigation schemes take time to plan and deliver. This is because they involve: detailed flood modelling, environmental assessments, public consultation, annual funding approvals, discussions with landowners, legal permissions, design and construction work. As a result, even small flood schemes often take between 5 and 10 years from first being identified to being completed. Larger or more complex schemes can take longer.