Flood and Water Management Act 2010

13 Co-operation and arrangements

(1) A relevant authority must co-operate with other relevant authorities in the exercise of their flood and coastal erosion risk management functions.

(2) A relevant authority may share information with another relevant authority for the purpose of discharging its duty under subsection (1).

(3) In subsections (1) and (2) “relevant authority” means—

(a) a risk management authority, and

(b) the Welsh Ministers.

(4) A risk management authority may arrange for a flood risk management function to be exercised on its behalf by—

(a) another risk management authority, or

(b) a navigation authority (within the meaning given by section 219 of the Water Industry Act 1991).

(5) But subsection (4) does not apply in relation to—

(a) the function of the Environment Agency under section 7(1), or

(b) the function of a lead local flood authority under section 9(1) or 10(1).

(6) A coast protection authority may, with the appropriate consent, arrange for a person to exercise a coastal erosion risk management function on its behalf.

(7) In subsection (6) the “appropriate consent” means—

(a) in relation to a coast protection authority in England, the consent of the Environment Agency, and

(b) in relation to a coast protection authority in Wales, the consent of the Welsh Ministers.

(8) The Environment Agency may arrange for a coastal erosion risk management function to be exercised on its behalf by—

(a) a coast protection authority,

(b) a lead local flood authority, or

(c) an internal drainage board.

(9) In subsections (4), (6) and (8) a reference to a flood risk management function or a coastal erosion risk management function includes a reference to anything that may be done by a risk management authority for a purpose connected with the exercise of that function.

(10) In this section “coast protection authority” has the meaning given by section 1 of the Coast Protection Act 1949.