Establishing Resilient Community Flood Groups to Reduce Flood Impacts in England and Wales

Laidlaw, S, Percival, S ORCID: 0000-0002-8935-5822, Simcock, N ORCID: 0000-0002-1408-962X, Byrne, P ORCID: 0000-0002-2699-052X and Garrett, T (2026) Establishing Resilient Community Flood Groups to Reduce Flood Impacts in England and Wales. In: Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Flood Management . (10th International Conference of Flood Management, 20th May- 22nd May 2026, London, Ontario).

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Abstract

Flooding is one of the most common natural hazards within England and Wales. Previously, the flooding sector focused on reducing flood risk and exposure through the construction of flood defences; however, a more progressive approach is required to reduce flood impacts through improving flood resilience. Community Flood Groups (CFGs) are one way of improving this, through representing community requirements and improving resilience. These grassroot community groups provide a platform for flood-affected communities with Key Flood Actors (KFAs) and potential policy changes. However, the sustainability of these groups is precarious, with many becoming dormant or disbanded over time. To address this issue, this project aims to develop a CFG sustainability framework that will identify key areas for groups to improve. As part of this wider research project, this paper identifies initial factors that can influence CFG sustainability through an online survey distributed to flood group members, asking questions regarding the group’s demographics, practices and relationships with KFAs. 132 responses were collected from 102 groups in England and Wales. Reflective thematic analysis was used to identify recurring themes within responses, which were then used to identify initial CFG sustainability factors. A range of both positive and negative factors were identified, such as age of group members, which can be detrimental to group longevity if younger generations are not involved, which is the case in many groups. Other factors include communication methods, being able to reach residents in time of need and use of social media, perceived active status of the group, and relationships with key flood actors. These are all determined as factors that may affect group sustainability. These preliminary factors will be taken forward to phase 2 of the research, where further methods, including interviews and workshops, will be used to confirm and identify further factors, ultimately resulting in development of a CFG Sustainability Framework.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Community Flood Groups
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences
Divisions:	Biological and Environmental Sciences (from Sep 19)
Publisher:	Western University, Canada
Date of acceptance:	10 February 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	24 July 2026
Date Deposited:	24 Jul 2026 14:25
Last Modified:	24 Jul 2026 14:25
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28980

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