RainGain 2nd Local Authorities Meeting - 8th October 2014

Grimond Room, Portcullis House, SW1 (9:00-10:45) &

Council Room, One Great George Street, SW1 (11:00-16:30)

Aim

The aim of the day was to build upon the Conference at MACVAL, Vitry-sur-Seine and develop the engagement of local government with the RainGain project.

Overview

The conference had three distinct parts:

  1. Policy discussion;
  2. Conference; and
  3. Optional: Evening river cruise to Thames Barrier.

Policy Discussion

The first part was a 'Policy Discussion' in the Houses of Parliament and was hosted by the British Labour Party spokesperson on flooding. At this event the LGIU presented the findings of their research on the governance of flooding. This Policy Discussion was aimed at members and officers with responsibility for flooding, climate change adaptation and resilience.

Conference

The second part was a 'Conference' that brought together the RainGain researchers, flooding experts and officers from local government. The Conference explored two main themes:

Theme 1 - What type of radar installation is appropriate for Local Authorities?

Theme 2 - How will the findings from RainGain affect disaster planning and resilience policy?

The Conference entailed case studies and these examples were used to develop thinking about local strategies and plans.