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 is 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
Roles and responsibilities are set out in the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 and Land Drainage Act 1991 including:
- Provision and maintenance of a Local Flood and Water Management Strategy
- Statutory Consultee in relation to Surface Water drainage for major planning applications, advising the Local Planning Authority
- Consenting and enforcement on Ordinary Watercourses
- Significant Flood Investigations
Further information can be found at Information for flood risk management authorities, asset owners and local authorities.
- 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.
- Local Flood Risk Management Strategy (LFRMS)
- Catchment Management Plans (CMP) produced for Hampshire's 18 river catchments to identify priority areas where flood risk is a concern, and any policies or actions needed to address the flooding
- Groundwater management plan
- Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment (PFRA)
- 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.