Collaborative Flood Risk Management through Sustainable Drainage Systems (SUDS): Lessons from Leicester, United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has experienced devastating floods in the past 15 years. Since the passing of the United Kingdom’s Water and Floods Act in 2010, surface water flooding is managed at the local level.  As the Lead Local Flood Authority, Leicester City Council is directly responsible for managing flood risk from surface water, groundwater and ‘ordinary watercourses‘ . The Council has a statutory duty to investigate flooding incidents and develop, maintain, implement and monitor a local strategy for managing flood risk. This includes the need to share data and collaborate closely with partner agencies. Such collaboration, however, requires resources, willingness to engage with each other and the right institutional set up. Taking sustainable drainage systems (SUDS) as an example, and based on a recently conducted fieldwork, this talk will discuss the constraints and opportunities for collaborative flood risk management approaches in Leicester and offer lessons for understanding collaborative action more broadly.