Engineers and policy chiefs discuss infrastructure resilience to flooding

24 February 2016

The Environmental Audit Committee has invited engineers and policy chiefs who plan, build and maintain some of the UK's key infrastructure to a roundtable discussion in Parliament on how to ensure the UK is resilient to flooding in future, as part of the Committee's inquiry 'Flooding: Cooperation across Government'.

Witnesses

Wednesday 24 February 2016, Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House

At 2.00pm

Tim Kersley, Head of Asset Management Strategy, Network Rail
Jo Harrison, Asset Management Director, United Utilities
Hugh Ellis, Head of Policy, Town and Country Planning Association
Tom Jeynes, Sustainable Development Manager (Humber), Associated British Ports
Chris Woodroofe, Head of Passenger Operations, Gatwick Airport
Steve Sweeney, Yorkshire Regional Flood Committee and Calderdale Council
Eamon Lally, Principal Policy Adviser, Local Government Association
Ian Glover, Environment Sustainability Manager, National Grid
Ivan Le Fevre, Head of Environment, Highways England

Chair's comment

Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, Mary Creagh MP, said:

"Flooding in the UK is set to get worse as climate change disrupts our weather and increases the intensity of rainfall events. The Environmental Audit Committee is bringing together representatives from some of the UK's key infrastructure to discuss how we can adapt our towns, transport networks and utilities to better cope with flooding in future."

Focus of the session

The roundtable addresses issues such as:

How can we ensure the resilience of the UK's infrastructure in the face of increased flood risk?
How effectively do local and central government bodies work with infrastructure sectors to respond to flood emergencies and plan for future flood risk?
Is there scope for further collaboration between infrastructure sectors to address flood risk?
How could the Government's approach to flood risk management be improved?

Further information

Image: iStockphoto