Cheshire | The Flood Hub

Cheshire Mid-Mersey Partnership

Introduction

Managing flood and coastal erosion risk requires many organisations to work together in partnership. County and Unitary Authorities have been made the Lead Local Flood Authorities (LLFAs) under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 to take on the responsibility for leading on the coordination of flood risk management. They are tasked with bringing together all the relevant bodies to work in partnership to help manage local flood risk.

Click here to see our interactive map and search for schemes, groups and events going on in your area.

MightyTravelier / Lyme Park, Cheshire

To tackle flood risk in an integrated way the key agencies / authorities in water management across the sub-region combined as a Flood Risk Management Partnership in October 2010. By doing so it ensures the Partnership appreciates its actions over the whole area rather than simply within political boundaries.

The Cheshire Mid-Mersey Partnership is one of five Flood & Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Partnerships within the North West region, the remaining four are:

The Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA);
Cumbria;
Lancashire;
Merseyside.

The Partnerships are in regular contact to actively deliver the duties set out by the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 which is overseen by the North West Regional Flood & Coastal Committee (NW RFCC).

The Cheshire Mid-Mersey partnership consists of the following Local Authorities. Further information on the roles and responsibilities, local flood risk management strategies and flood investigation reports are contained within the flooding sections of the authorities’ website.

Summary of Flood Risk within Cheshire Mid-Mersey Partnership Local Authority areas

Local Authority Area	Residential Properties at Risk*		Non-Residential Properties at Risk**
Local Authority Area	Surface Water (1 in 100 year)	Fluvial Risk (Flood Zone 2 and 3)	Surface Water (1 in 100 year)	Fluvial Risk (Flood Zone 2 and 3)
Cheshire East Council	2,204	2,885	472	602
Cheshire West and Chester	1,773	2,459	289	1,143
Halton Borough Council	850	754	157	1,351
St Helens Council	1,683	688	1,855	112
Warrington Borough Council	884	15,681	163	1,600
Total	7,394	22,467	2,936	4,808

Values as of June 2017 supplied by the Environment Agency

*Includes properties situated on upper levels due to access issues.

**Includes properties situated on upper levels due to access issues. Non-residential properties are classified as having a function other than residential.

Location of Cheshire Mid-Mersey Catchment within the North West region

Role of the Partnership

The Partnership has a critical role to play in managing the risk of flooding from all sources and in working with communities to help them become more resilient.

The Partnership provides a forum to enable Risk Management Authorities (RMAs), partners and communities to identify how they can work together to deliver a more integrated, efficient and effective flood risk management service.

The following areas have been identified as priority themes for joint working:

Developing a shared understanding of risk;
Identifying and agreeing investment priorities;
Developing shared maintenance programmes;
Communications and engaging communities at risk of flooding;
Engaging other partners, organisations and funding bodies;
Creating joint approaches to strategic planning and sustainable economic growth;
Delivering wider social and economic benefits through flood risk spending;
Consistent and efficient delivery of statutory flood risk duties;
Incident response and recovery work;
To raise the profile of flooding issues across the Partnership and within the LLFAs, at the appropriate political and organisational levels.

This is supported by a detailed action plan showing the activities that will be delivered by the Partnership.

The information on this page has been provided by the Cheshire Mid-Mersey Flood & Coastal Erosion Risk Management Partnership. Last updated: Summer 2024

Membership and Structure

Partnership Membership

Formed in October 2010, the FCERM Partnership is based around the RMAs that are contained within the Cheshire Mid-Mersey Catchment.

The LLFAs contained within the Cheshire Mid-Mersey Catchment are:

Warrington Borough Council – Partnership Lead;
Cheshire East Council;
Cheshire West and Chester Council;
Halton Borough Council;
St Helens Borough Council.

Other RMAs of the Partnership include:

Due to the connectivity of the Cheshire Mid-Mersey catchment, Staffordshire County Council and Welsh Water are consulted at the appropriate level with regard to all matters relating to Flood Risk Management.

Due to the locality of Halton Borough Council and St Helens Council within the Merseyside region, the Cheshire Mid-Mersey partnership works closely with the Merseyside Partnership in matters relating to the Liverpool City Region (LCR) Combined Authority at the appropriate level. Warrington and West Lancashire Councils are Associate Members of the Combined Authority. The aim of the LCR is to increase growth to the local economy and to attract more residents and businesses to live, work, visit or invest in the region. Further information can be obtained via the following link – https://www.liverpoolcityregion-ca.gov.uk/

The Cheshire Mid-Mersey Partnership has developed into a strong partnership that works together to:

Understand the risk of flooding to communities;
Manage the risk of flooding to communities;
Reduce the consequences of flooding to communities;
Warn and inform communities so they can take action to protect themselves.

Partnership Structure

The Cheshire Mid-Mersey Partnership operates at two levels, Strategic and Tactical.

To be effective in the delivery of Flood Risk Management, there are a number of groups in which the Partnership is in regular communication.

Cheshire Mid-Mersey Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Partnership Structure

LLFA Representation with NW RFCC

To improve local representation the NW RFCC proposed that LLFA members from each regional committee should be drawn from the flood risk partnerships that evolved between neighbouring authorities. The composition document for membership allocates two LLFA representatives per Partnership.

For the Cheshire Mid-Mersey Partnership two representatives are chosen from the Local Authority members.

Role of Local Authority Elected Members

Member’s role at the NW RFCC and any Sub-Groups is to represent and provide a voice for the Cheshire Mid-Mersey Partnership and not their individual local authority area.

Members are responsible for helping the NW RFCC deliver its statutory functions and responsibilities, including:

Consenting the Environment Agency’s regional programme;
Consenting the raising of a local levy;
Reviewing and endorsing catchment flood management plans and shoreline management plans;
Reviewing LLFA outputs under the Flood Risk Regulations and Flood and Water Management Act 2010;
Promoting partnerships with project sponsors to secure external contributions;
Considering how the local levy will be used along with other sources of funding to deliver the regional programme and longer term strategic objectives;
Assisting LLFAs in their development of local flood risk management strategies.

Members are advocates for local issues and represent a voice for local communities. For members nominated on behalf of a group of local authorities this means representing communities across the Cheshire Mid-Mersey Partnership at NW RFCC and / or Sub-Groups. This provides a vital link between national policy and local flood risk management.

Strategic and Tactical Groups

Local flood risk partnerships are tasked with leading delivery of the management of flood risk from surface water, groundwater and ordinary watercourses. They should consider the interactions between local flood risk and other sources. These wider discussions of all sources of flood and coastal risks will provide a basis for a wider holistic approach.

Strategic Group

The seven key roles of the Strategic Group are to:

Provide a ‘Line of Sight’ from Tactical delivery through to (NW RFCC) decision-making and funding;
Identify investment priorities;
Oversee local delivery;
Co-ordinate and innovate;
Identify cross cutting issues;
Engage with other partners;
Select Members to represent the Strategic Partnership on the NW RFCC.

Strategic Group Membership

Membership of the Strategic Group consists of:

Lead Members for each Local Authority in Partnership*;
Lead Senior Officer for each Local Authority in Partnership;
Environment Agency;
Local Authority Flood Risk Management Coordinator;
United Utilities;
Other partners invited as deemed required.

*Where an Elected Member cannot attend, the Officer for each authority has delegated authority for decision making at this meeting.

Tactical Officers Group

The key roles of the Tactical Officers Group are:

Implement and organise evidence and actions;
Co-ordinate flood risk issues;
Delivery of partnership projects and LLFA responsibilities;
Co-ordinate and innovate;
Identify cross cutting issues;
Engage with other partners.

Tactical Group Membership

Membership of the Tactical Officers Group consists of:

Lead Senior Officer for each Local Authority in Partnership*;
Environment Agency;
Local Authority Flood Risk Management Coordinator;
United Utilities;
Other partners invited as deemed required.

*Where a Lead Senior Officer cannot attend, a Deputy for each authority has delegated authority for decision making at this meeting.

Operational Level

LLFA Flood Risk Managers and Officers from the respective Local Authorities, United Utilities and Environment Agency meet on a quarterly basis or as required if flood events occur to discuss issues and scheme delivery. The Operational Level is where day-to-day Flood Risk Management activities take place.

These meetings are arranged and chaired by the Lead Local Flood Authority who, where applicable, feed outcomes of this meeting up to the Tactical Officer Group and also information from other meetings down to the Operational Group.

Membership of the Operational Group varies from one authority to the next but typically include officers from:

Lead Local Flood Authority;
Environment Agency;
Local Authority Flood Risk Management Coordinator;
United Utilities;
Other partners invited as deemed required.

Flood Risk Management

To view the Environment Agency’s five year flood and coastal risk management asset maintenance programme, click here. For more details on the programme, click here.

On this page you can find information of flood risk management schemes for areas within Cheshire.

Northwich (Completed scheme)

For more information on the flood risk management scheme for Northwich, visit our dedicated page here.
Click here to download the update on the flood risk management in Northwich Town Centre – April 2022
Click here to download the Northwich Town Centre Multi-Agency Flood Emergency Plan – The primary purpose of the plan is to provide a co-ordinated multi-agency response framework to help mitigate and reduce the impact of a large-scale flood event within Northwich Town Centre. The scope of this plan outlines the response to a flooding incident within Northwich Town Centre. Cheshire West and Chester Council, the Environment Agency, United Utilities, The Canal and River Trust (the Trust), and other key agencies will have complete access to the live plan and will be notified of any amendments accordingly.
To see where the pumps are located in Northwich, please click here.

Penketh and Whittle (In progress scheme)

For more information on the flood risk management scheme for Penketh and Whittle, visit our dedicated page here.

Poynton (Community update)

Click here to download the Poynton Flood Update Newsletter April 2022
Click here to download the Poynton Flood Update Newsletter September 2021
Recommendations from the Section 19 report – local updates
Click here to download the Poynton Flood Update Newsletter December 2020
Click here to download the Poynton Flood Update Newsletter April 2020
Click here to download the Poynton Flood Update Newsletter January 2020

River Mersey at Warrington Flood Risk Management Scheme (Completed Scheme)

For more information on flood risk management at the River Mersey at Warrington, visit our dedicated scheme page here.

Sankey Brook, Warrington (Proposed scheme)

For more information on flood risk management in Sankey Brook, Warrington, visit our dedicated page here.

Warrington (Community update)

Click here to download the Warrington Flood Risk Management Multi-agency Update Newsletter – February 2023

Rapid Response Watercourses

Some watercourses are at risk of flooding extremely quickly from intense rainfall. Check the signs and whether you are at risk by visiting our ‘Rapid Response Catchment’ page and using our interactive map.