I'm a flood risk engineer and have worked for the Environment Agency for decades. We have powers (not responsibilities) to manage flood risk from main rivers (these are legally designated, can be tiny streams, but pretty much all the "big" rivers) in England. In that time, our ability to delivery flood risk management works and flood defences schemes has got harder and harder:
1 we are statutory consultees for developments in flood zones, but we can only advise or object, we have very little power of veto on flood zone development.
2 the economic tests to identify if a scheme is suitable for public funding are based on benefit/cost. Costs have escalated, benefits have not. The ratio a new flood defence scheme needs to reach to be eligible for public funding hasn't changed. It's harder and harder to get funding. The flood incidents of this autumn/winter will probably result in an injection of recovery funding, but no lt the wholesake change in how we are funded in the first place, to allow us to carry out more reliability centered work. Rather than "fix on fail".
3 - similar to 2, for maintenance works.
4- there is no single ownership or responsibility for floodwaters, but water will go where it flows, it doesn't know or care whether the rainwater runoff or watercourse it floods from, is in the ownership of the local authority, water company, environment agency, drainage board, private ownership, canal and river trust or anyone else. This hotchpotch makes it very tricky to achieve a long term consistent, strategic approach to anything. Especially the mix or public/private ownership.
5 - I have dozens of plans on my virtual bookshelf that will never be built because they won't trigger funding.
6 - although were meant to be strategic, our funding regime forces us down a "fix on fail" route, which is excessively costly, and no good to anyone. Some of the defences I know well are a few centuries old, but are like Triggers Broom in terms of how much is original. We have a very aged asset portfolio which is decaying fast!
7 - Climate change and rising water levels are real. We used to deal with 1 or 2 major incidents a decade in my area. Now we're on pretty much one a year nationwide.
8 - climate change , and increased "ordinary" water levels puts more pressure on existing assets than they were designed for.
9 - Not EA assets but - similarly to 8 - road/public drainage is designed for certain flow volumes. We are routinely getting higher flows, which surcharges the drainage system and causes flooding. Drainage also needs to be maintained, cleared, desilted. My local authority has declared itself bankrupt - the centre of my village(low spot) has been underwater for weeks because the drains are full of silt.
10 - we have a massive retention problem since lockdown, with the private sector paying so much more for the engineers, scientists and managers we need. We've lost so much expertise as well as working with about 35% vacancies, in roles that were identified as essential key roles in lockdown.