Two announcements point the same way. The system is increasingly being governed as a whole.
At first glance, flooding and drought look like opposite challenges. One is too much water. The other is too little. For decades they have been managed through separate policies, delivery programmes and professional communities.
That is beginning to change.
This month saw the first meeting of the new Flood and Drought Resilience Taskforce, hosted by Floods and Drought Minister Emma Hardy. More than 50 organisations took part, including the Environment Agency, the Met Office, mayoral authorities, fire and rescue services, and representatives of the farming, water and insurance sectors, alongside community groups. The first meeting was set to assess preparedness for winter flooding and draw lessons from this summer's drought. Its wider remit is to support a longer-term resilience strategy for both. It complements the National Drought Group, which continues to run the operational drought response.
image: Shutterstock. The largest resilience challenges sit between organisational and sector boundaries. Integrated governance may prove as important as physical infrastructure investment.
The context is stark. On 10 August, 71.3% of England was in drought, according to the National Drought Group, with about 45 million people living in affected areas.
The taskforce is not the only structural change. In May's King's Speech the Government announced a Clean Water Bill to create a single, integrated water regulator for England, bringing together Ofwat, the Drinking Water Inspectorate and the water regulation functions of the Environment Agency and Natural England, alongside a new Water Ombudsman. Government says it should give investors the clarity needed for long-term investment. A transition plan is expected later this year.
Legal commentators have been clear about the risk. Pinsent Masons' view is that the success of reform depends on implementation, and that the transition plan will be crucial to avoid delaying investment and project delivery.
Meanwhile the money keeps moving. At least £10.5 billion is committed to flood defence between 2024 and 2036, including £4.2 billion for existing and new defences, and AMP8 is a £104 billion programme. Both must be delivered while the regulatory landscape is being redrawn.
Storage, catchment management, infrastructure performance and land-use decisions all influence both flood and drought outcomes. The biggest resilience challenges sit between organisations and between regulators, not within them.
For the sector, the challenge is becoming less technical and more organisational. Many of the tools already exist. The question is whether governance, funding and delivery models can evolve quickly enough, and without losing momentum on the projects already in train.