Commentary Supplemental powers and duties Section 19: Local authorities: investigations
75.This section requires a lead local flood authority to investigate flooding incidents in its area which it becomes aware of, and to the extent that it considers necessary or appropriate. This is in order to: (a) identify which risk management authority has flood risk management functions in respect of the flooding; and (b) establish whether that authority has responded or is proposing to respond to the flood. The lead local flood authority must publish the results of any investigation and notify any relevant risk management authority of those results. While the management responsibility for a flood may be clear in many cases, there may be occasions where this is not so and the purpose of this provision is to require the lead local flood authority to investigate where appropriate, so as to try and ascertain where responsibility for managing the flood risk lies and what is being done about it.