Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) responsibilities and strategies

Hampshire County Council is the LLFA for the county.

As the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA), Hampshire County Council has responsibilities under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.

Our responsibilities

We are responsible for managing the risk of flooding from:

  • surface water (rainfall) runoff – flows over surfaces such as roads, roofs and patios that cannot absorb water
  • ordinary watercourses – smaller, non-main rivers and water bodies. These include rivers, streams, ditches, drains, cuts, culverts, dikes, and sluices
  • groundwater – caused when heavy or prolonged rainfall makes the water table rise above its normal level
Plans in place to manage flood risk

We undertake our role by preparing plans and strategies to manage flood risk. Our key plan is the Local Flood Risk Management Strategy.

Strategic Flood and Water Management Board

The Strategic Flood and Water Management Board includes representatives from our partners and other organisations:

  • Hampshire County Council
  • water companies
  • the Environment Agency
  • adjoining LLFAs (Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight)
  • district councils
  • parish councils
  • the two national parks in Hampshire

The board is supported by a Technical Delivery Group. This group provides a forum for sharing best practice and guiding flood risk management work.

Regional Flood and Coastal Committees (RFCCs)

Hampshire County Council also works with Regional Flood and Coastal Committees. They have an important role to play in allocating government funding for flood defence and mitigation schemes.