Mayor of London convenes meeting in response to flooding

Key partners, including London Councils, Transport for London (TfL), and the Environment Agency, will meet with the Mayor of London to ensure everything possible is being done to prevent and reduce the impact of flooding in the capital.

London has seen increasing incidents of extreme weather over the last few weeks with flash flooding impacting homes, businesses, train stations, and the transport network, and halting daily life in parts of the city.

The Mayor will be meeting with representatives at London Councils, TfL, the London Fire Brigade, Thames Water, Affinity Water, SES Water and the Environment Agency today to address the recent flooding.

The Environment Agency is responsible for overseeing flood risk strategy on behalf of Defra and the boroughs, through Risk Management Authorities, the lead local authorities with responsibility for managing surface water flooding.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: ‘The serious flash flooding in London over the last two weekends will have caused major concern and anxiety for many Londoners and it shows that the dangers of climate change are now moving closer to home. I’d like to thank partners including the London Fire Brigade, the Met Police and local councils who responded to hundreds of calls throughout Sunday afternoon and evening.

‘Despite having limited powers in the area, it remains a key priority for myself and London’s council leaders that more is done to urgently tackle flooding and the other impacts of climate change. This is why I have brought together all of the key partners to see what more can be done, including the water companies who have to address the localised issues with infrastructure that may exacerbate the impact of flooding.

‘I continue to lobby the Government to devolve more funding and powers to local leaders to enable us deal with both flooding and the wider impacts of climate change. COP26 this year provides an opportunity for the Government to show global leadership and give us the powers and resources we need to take even bolder action on climate change.’

City Hall has invested £1.8m in 40 projects to address surface water flood risk, with a further £4m helping to tackle the climate emergency by reducing the risk of floods through the Green and Resilient Spaces Fund.

In related news, as severe flooding affects countries across Europe, a new web service for flood prevention has been announced, that will help cities identify risk areas and plan protective and preventative measures.

Photo by Jack Finnigan