Consultation outcome

Drought: how it is managed in England: summary of consultation responses

Updated 3 April 2025

Introduction

Droughts are natural events which we cannot prevent. They reduce available water supplies and can have negative impacts on people, wildlife and the environment. The Environment Agency has the duty to secure proper use of water resources in England, including protecting the environment.  

The ‘Drought: how it is managed in England’ document is the updated version of the ‘National Drought Response Framework’ released in 2017. The document lays out how we meet these duties and describes:

• the impacts of drought in England
• who is involved in planning, managing and responding to drought and how we work together
• the actions the Environment Agency and others take to manage drought
• how we report on drought and communicate with others
• our role in recovery and learning from drought events

Each of the Environment Agency’s 14 operational areas also produce their own area drought plans, which serve as operational guidelines for their response to drought. The ‘Drought: how it is managed in England’ document supports the area drought plans by providing:   

• a strategic overview for how we manage drought to minimise damage to the environment, agriculture and to secure essential public water supply
• information for our staff, government departments and stakeholders to use in planning for and managing drought

We consulted on the ‘Drought: how it is managed in England’ document to gather feedback on the document and ask questions that would draw out any area-specific concerns that should be considered by our operational areas as they update their area drought plans in 2025.

Although there is no statutory requirement to consult, by undertaking this public consultation, we are holding ourselves to the same standards as water companies. We are being open and transparent on how we manage drought events and the typical actions we take and are also providing the opportunity for external scrutiny.

How we ran the consultation

The consultation ran for 9 weeks from 8 November 2024 to 10 January 2025. We ran the consultation following the Cabinet Office’s consultation principles guidelines.

The consultation was hosted on Citizen Space (our online consultation website) and on GOV.UK and was open to anyone who would like to respond. Respondents who did not wish to submit their response using the Citizen Space website could submit their response form by email or could request a printed copy of the documents to allow them to respond by post.

We promoted the consultation by direct email correspondence with National Drought Group (NDG) members including, among others:

• water companies
• new appointments and variations (NAVs)
• regional groups
• internal drainage boards (IDBs)
• local authorities
• National Farmers’ Union
• UK Irrigation Association
• Rivers Trust
• Angling Trust
• Country Land and Business Association
• Consumer Council for Water
• Blueprint for Water
• Water UK
• Ofwat
• Drinking Water Inspectorate
• Energy UK
• Forestry Commission
• Met Office

We asked area and national colleagues to email notice of the consultation to their contacts in:

• catchment groups
• abstractors groups
• pressure groups
• local interest groups
• local resilience forums
• Water for Food Group

And we published a blog post on GOV.UK.

In total we received 48 responses. Of these:

• 27 responses were submitted through Citizen Space
• 15 responses were sent directly to us by email

We also received 6 emails with general comments, which did not follow our consultation form. We considered these general comments alongside the other responses but could not include most of them in the numerical summaries as the submissions did not align with the format of our consultation questions.

The 48 responses were submitted by:

• 7 individuals
• 41 organisations or groups

The sectors the respondents represented are shown in the following table. The total does not align with the total above as some respondents ticked more than one option.

Breakdown of the sectors the respondents represented

Sector the respondents represented	Number of responses
Government and regulators	3
Environment	11
Agriculture and horticulture	3
Public water supply	12
Navigation	1
Recreation	1
Energy	1
Business	2
Industry	1
Other	8
Not answered	7

A full list of the organisation and group respondents can be found in Appendix A.

Summary of key findings and actions we will take

Responses were collated and separated into 2 groups:

• comments that related to specific sections of ‘Drought: how it is managed in England’
• general drought management comments

Each specific comment was reviewed, and we considered whether the suggestion fitted with the intended scope of the document. Comments were summarised to highlight the key themes and were distributed to Environment Agency colleagues as appropriate.

Most comments offered suggestions to the wording of the document, which have all been noted and will be implemented where appropriate. We also received some area-specific drought comments, as well as general drought management comments, which have all been passed to the relevant teams to take forward and consider in their area drought plan updates.

19 of our respondents felt that after reading ‘Drought: how it is managed in England’ they had a ‘moderately’ better understanding of how droughts are managed in England, the respective roles of the organisations and groups involved, and how they work together to minimise the impacts of drought (Question 10). 8 respondents felt that their understanding was ‘very much’ improved, 7 ‘somewhat’, 5 ‘a little’, and 1 ‘not at all’ improved.

Based off this feedback, and the comments made throughout the consultation, we propose to make improvements to the ‘Drought: how it is managed in England’ document.

The key themes highlighted from the responses are summarised here by section, along with the proposed changes that we will make. We have included a high-level breakdown of the responses to the 15 questions we asked in the consultation in Appendix B.

Strengthen the purpose of the document

Many of the comments we received fell outside the scope of the ‘Drought: how it is managed in England’ document. To address this, we will improve the executive summary by clearly stating the purpose and scope of the document. We will also ensure that relevant links to more information are added throughout the document to enhance understanding of certain topics.

Some examples of comments outside the scope are:

• more detail on the drought permits and order process – the document provides a high-level overview of drought permits and orders. We feel the document is not the appropriate place to go into operational detail and will ensure links to more information are available where necessary
• more detail on drought indicators, triggers and monitoring – the document provides a high-level overview of our drought response, as it differs by location. More detail surrounding drought indicators, triggers and monitoring is available in our area drought plans

Section 1: Drought in England: an overview

We asked if Section ‘1: Drought in England: an overview’ clearly described drought in England (Question 2). Out of those that responded to this question:

• 25 respondents ‘agreed’
• 9 ‘strongly agreed’
• 3 ‘neither agreed or disagreed’
• 3 ‘disagreed’
• 1 ‘strongly disagreed’

This is displayed in appendix B. We also received 33 comments to this question. The key themes mentioned, along with our actions are the following.

Strengthen drought definition

Respondents felt that the drought definition wording could be improved. Suggestions were made to include meteorological, hydrological, socioeconomic, ecological definitions of drought, as well as adding additional types of droughts (for example, navigational) and the implications to businesses. We have listened to this feedback and will make appropriate changes to the wording to ensure it is clearer, whilst being mindful that there is not a single definition of drought.

Strengthen reference to heatwaves

Respondents felt that there was not enough emphasis on heatwaves and how they can cause a higher demand for water, leading to public water supply droughts. We will review this section to ensure that the demand pressures heatwaves cause is clear.  

Strengthen past notable drought examples

A range of respondents wished for more information on previous droughts, including previous actions taken and the impact the droughts had on agriculture and the environment. We considered this point, however, feel that the document provides a high-level overview of previous droughts and is not the place for further detail. Area drought plans contain some more information on local previous impacts and lessons learnt. Respondents also asked if the drought definitions could be added to the drought examples for a more comprehensive understanding. We will update the document to make it clearer that not all droughts are just one type of drought.

Section 2: Drought impacts and mitigations

We asked if Section 2: ‘Drought impacts and mitigations’ clearly described the impacts of drought and some of the actions other sectors take to mitigate these impacts (Question 3). Out of those that responded to this question:

• 16 ‘agreed’ with the statement
• 5 respondents ‘strongly agreed’
• 14 ‘neither agreed nor disagreed’
• 6 ‘disagreed’

This is displayed in appendix B. We also received 37 comments to this question. The key themes from this, along with our actions, are the following.

Add more detail to sectors

Respondents felt that more detail could be added to the sectors described in section 2. There was a consensus that there should be a greater consideration of drought impacts for all organisations, not just industry. It was also mentioned that large water abstracting industries and non-consumptive users should be highlighted too. We will review this section and add more detail, where appropriate.

It was also mentioned that there should be more detail on drought planning and actions required for all sectors. Only water companies legally have to plan for drought, however many other sectors have drought plans, or are in the process of creating them. More information about specific sector drought plans may be found on specific organisation websites.

Add more detail to mitigation methods

A range of respondents asked for more detail on mitigation methods. These ranged from long-term planning for water shortages, to use of water saving measures. These items fall outside the remit of this document but are dealt with in the water company drought plans and the national framework for water resources.

Section 3: Planning, management and response

We asked if Section 3: ‘Planning, management and response’ clearly described the responsibilities of the Environment Agency, government, public bodies and local responders in drought planning, management and response (Question 4). Out of those that responded:

• 17 respondents ‘agreed’ with the statement
• 8 ‘strongly agreed’
• 10 ‘neither agreed nor disagreed’
• 5 ‘disagreed’

This is displayed in appendix B. We also received 33 comments to this question. The key themes mentioned, along with our actions are the following.

Add in more information on roles and organisations

Some respondents felt that there are a lot of organisations and teams listed in the document with various communication links, which adds a layer of complexity to their understanding. It was suggested to add in an organigram to help explain relationships. We feel that the inclusion of an organigram would complicate things further due to the sheer number of communication channels between organisations. We also do not believe that such a diagram is relevant to the scope of the document. It was also mentioned that more information should be focused on roles and organisations, such as clarifying the role of IDBs, NAVs and regional groups in drought management and adding in other organisation’s drought responses. We will review this section and add in appropriate detail, where necessary, and try to emphasise communication channels where possible.

Area drought plans

Our area drought plans are operational documents that tell our local response teams how to plan and respond to a drought incident in their area. The contents of area drought plans are fundamentally covered in the ‘Drought: how it is managed in England’ document, with the addition of specific local detail. Some respondents stated that it is unclear whether these plans are available publicly. Requests can be made for copies of area drought plans through our customer contact team at enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk. We will add this to the ‘Drought: how it is managed in England’ document.

More information on water companies

Comments mentioned that the difference between water company drought plans and water resource management plans were not clear within the document. We will review this section to ensure the description of each is clear.

Comments were also made regarding water company emergency plans, namely, what steer government provides to the priorities included in the emergency plans, and what role government and water companies take once emergency plans are activated. Water company emergency plans are not in the public domain and they must meet the measures set out in the Water company security and emergency measures: 2022 ministerial direction. The Environment Agency is currently working with water companies and regulators to develop new guidance to cover emergency plans for drought. As the project is still underway, we cannot update the ‘Drought: how it is managed in England’ document with the outcomes, however we will make changes where appropriate.

Section 4: Our drought teams and actions

We asked if Section 4: ‘Our drought teams and actions’ clearly described the Environment Agency’s drought stages, response arrangements, drought actions and triggers, monitoring and data (Question 5). Out of those that responded:

• 13 respondents ‘agreed’ with the statement
• 8 ‘strongly agreed’
• 11 ‘neither agreed nor disagreed’
• 8 ‘disagreed’

This is displayed in appendix B. We also received 31 comments to this question. The key themes mentioned, along with our actions are the following.

Strengthen Environment Agency responsibility

There was a general theme for this question surrounding clarification to the Environment Agency’s role in drought. Comments included, statutory powers, overall drought responsibility, communication responsibilities, and the role outside of drought. These comments have all been noted and will be reflected in the document update where appropriate.

Improvements to structure

Respondents felt that the overall structure of this section could be improved with diagrams and tables to help explain the differing roles in different drought stages. It was also suggested to discuss water company actions separately from the Environment Agency drought stages due to differences in process and stages. We will review this section of the document and ensure that the information is displayed in the best way possible.

Section 5: How we communicate with others

We asked if ‘Section 5: How we communicate with others’ clearly described the Environment Agency’s role in drought communications and the tools we use to do so (Question 7). Out of those that responded:

• 20 respondents ‘agreed’ with the statement
• 7 ‘strongly agreed’
• 12 ‘neither agreed nor disagreed’
• 0 ‘disagreed’
• 1 ‘strongly disagreed’

This is displayed in appendix B.

Comments requested more detail into specific communication methods, such as how the Environment Agency work and engage with other authorities, details on communication with vulnerable populations, and social media use. The document contains a high-level overview of our communications response and tools. Specifics relating to our communications and engagement response are held in our national and local area drought communication plans. We do not feel that the ‘Drought: how it is managed in England’ document is the appropriate place for this detailed information as it is always changing and would duplicate the work in our drought communication plans. We will, however, review the section to ensure that the content clearly describes our communication methods.

We also asked how engaged our respondents felt with the Environment Agency and other stakeholders during the last period of prolonged dry weather or drought (Question 14). Out of those that responded to this question:

• 13 said they felt ‘very engaged’
• 8 ‘moderately’
• 6 ‘somewhat’
• 5 ‘a little’
• 4 ‘not at all engaged’

This is displayed in appendix B.

We received various comments and suggestions (for both questions) on improvements to our communication methods, both for during and outside of a drought. We are always looking at ways to improve our engagement and are keen to have feedback from our stakeholders on how this can be improved. Improvements to integration and sharing of drought data is currently a part of the NDG’s strategy to prepare for future droughts and something that we will be taking forward, along with how we can incorporate other data sharing projects in future years. We will ensure that this section reflects our current communication methods and will take onboard the improvements suggested.

Section 6: Recovery

We asked if Section 6: ‘Recovery’ clearly described the Environment Agency’s role in recovery and how we seek to learn from each drought (Question 8). Out of those that responded to this question:

• 22 ‘agreed’ with the statement
• 9 ‘strongly agreed’
• 7 ‘neither agreed nor disagreed’
• 1 ‘disagreed’

This is displayed in appendix B. We also received 27 comments to this question, which overall asked for more detail within the section. Comments included:

• should include the recovery process for water users and how the Environment Agency supports this
• should include long-term management of recovery
• ,ore explanation on how flooding occurs in a drought

We have listened to this feedback and plan to update this section, taking on board the comments, where appropriate.

Next steps

We are currently updating the ‘Drought: how it is managed in England’ document with the proposed changes discussed above and will be publishing the final version in spring 2025.

To prepare ourselves for the next period of dry weather, we are currently rolling out an updated training programme to train our drought management teams on the Environment Agency’s incidents response to drought. Our area drought teams are also updating their area drought plans to ensure they are fit for purpose should they be needed to respond to a dry weather incident. We also have ongoing projects whose outcomes will assist our drought response, providing our drought management teams with the tools and resources to effectively manage drought.

If you wish to follow up on your response or any points made in this document in more detail, please email us at drought.national@environment-agency.gov.uk.

Appendix A: List of respondents identifying as an organisation or group:

Association of Drainage Authorities

Affinity Water Limited

Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board

Anglian Water Services

AquaInform Ltd

Barnes Common Limited

Bathroom Manufacturers Association

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council

Cambridgeshire County Council

Canal and River Trust

Energy UK

ESP Utilities Group

Friends of Foots Cray Meadows

Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust

Historic England

Lower Medway Internal Drainage Board

MOSL

National Farmers Union

Natural England

Ove Arup & Partners Ltd (Arup)

Operations Catchment Services, Water Resources – Environment Agency

Portsmouth Water

Rother Fishery Association

Severn Trent Water

South East Water

South Staffs Water

Stormwater Shepherds UK

Thames Water Utilities Ltd

The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management

The Horticultural Trades Association

The Royal Parks

The Unified Water Label Association

UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology

UK Health Security Agency - Extreme Events and Health Protection Team

United Utilities PLC

University of Oxford

Water Resources West

Waterwise

WildFish

Wildlife and Countryside Link

Yorkshire Water Services

Appendix B: List of consultation questions

This appendix sets out the questions we asked in this consultation, along with the responses we received. The questions are written in the same format as they were in the online tool and response form. Not all respondents provided an answer to each question. The below should be read along with the ‘Summary of key findings and actions we will take’ section where we set out our response and actions to the main themes raised by consultees.

Question 1. Before reading ‘Drought: how it is managed in England’, how familiar would you say you were about drought management in England?

You said:

• not at all: 0
• a little: 5
• somewhat: 5
• moderately: 11
• very: 20
• not answered: 1

Question 2. Refer to Section 1: ‘Drought in England: an overview’. Does this section clearly describe drought in England? Why do you think this?

You said:

• strongly agree: 9
• agree: 25
• neither agree nor disagree: 3
• disagree: 3
• strongly disagree: 1
• prefer not to answer: 0
• not answered: 1

We received 33 comments to this question. We have analysed these comments and identified themes, which were discussed in the ‘Summary of key findings and actions we will take’ section, under Section 1.

Question 3. Refer to Section 2: ‘Drought impacts and mitigations’. Does this section clearly describe the impacts of drought and some of the actions other sectors take to mitigate these impacts? Why do you think this?

You said:

• strongly agree: 5
• agree: 16
• neither agree nor disagree: 14
• disagree: 6
• strongly disagree: 0
• prefer not to answer: 0
• not answered: 1

We received 37 comments to this question. We have analysed these comments and identified themes, which were discussed in the ‘Summary of key findings and actions we will take’, under Section 2.

Question 4. Refer to Section 3: ‘Planning, management and response’. Does this section clearly describe the responsibilities of the Environment Agency, government, public bodies and local responders in drought planning, management and response? Why do you think this?

You said:

• strongly agree: 8
• agree: 17
• neither agree nor disagree: 10
• disagree: 5
• strongly disagree: 0
• prefer not to answer: 1
• not answered: 1

We received 33 comments to this question. We have analysed these comments and identified themes, which were discussed in the ‘Summary of key findings and actions we will take’, under Section 3.

Question 5. Refer to Section 4: ‘Our drought teams and actions’. Does this section clearly describe the Environment Agency’s drought stages, response arrangements, drought actions and triggers, monitoring and data? Why do you think this?

You said:

• strongly agree: 8
• agree: 13
• neither agree nor disagree: 11
• disagree: 8
• strongly disagree: 0
• prefer not to answer: 1
• not answered: 1

We received 31 comments to this question. We have analysed these comments and identified themes, which were discussed in the ‘Summary of key findings and actions we will take’, under Section 4.

Question 6. Considering your responses to questions 4 and 5, how well do you understand the scope and purpose of Environment Agency area drought plans described in sections 3 and 4? Why do you think this?

You said:

• not at all: 0
• a little: 1
• somewhat: 13
• moderately: 14
• very: 11
• not answered: 3

We received 32 comments to this question. We have analysed these comments and identified themes, which were discussed in the ‘Summary of key findings and actions we will take’, under Sections 3 and 4.

Question 7. Refer to Section 5: ‘How we communicate with others’. Does this section clearly describe the Environment Agency’s role in drought communications and the tools we use to do so? Why do you think this?

You said:

• strongly agree: 7
• agree: 20
• neither agree nor disagree: 12
• disagree: 0
• strongly disagree: 1
• prefer not to answer: 0
• not answered: 2

We received 31 comments to this question. We have analysed these comments and identified themes, which were discussed in the ‘Summary of key findings and actions we will take’, under Section 5.

Question 8. Refer to Section 6: ‘Recovery’. Does this section clearly describe the Environment Agency’s role in recovery and how we seek to learn from each drought? Why do you think this?

You said:

• strongly agree: 9
• agree: 22
• neither agree nor disagree: 7
• disagree: 1
• strongly disagree: 0
• prefer not to answer: 2
• not answered: 1

We received 27 comments to this question. We have analysed these comments and identified themes, which were discussed in the ‘Summary of key findings and actions we will take’, under Section 6.

Question 9. After reading ‘Drought: how it is managed in England’ and answering these questions, are there any inaccuracies you would like to highlight or any other suggested improvements you would like to make?

We received 39 comments to this question. We have analysed these comments and identified themes, which were discussed in the ‘Summary of key findings and actions we will take’, under all sections.

Question 10. After reading ‘Drought: how it is managed in England’ and answering these questions, do you have a better understanding of how droughts are managed in England, the respective roles of the organisations and groups involved, and how they work together to minimise the impacts of drought? Why do you think this?

You said:

• not at all: 1
• a little: 5
• somewhat: 7
• moderately: 19
• very much: 8
• not answered: 2

We received 26 comments to this question. We have analysed these comments and identified themes, which were discussed in the ‘Summary of key findings and actions we will take’, under all sections.

Question 11. Which Environment Agency operational areas are you most interested in with respect to drought?

You said:

• all (National): 24
• North East, Cumbria and Lancashire: 4
• Yorkshire: 1
• Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire: 2
• Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire: 1
• East Midlands: 4
• West Midlands: 2
• Wessex: 1
• Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly: 1
• Solent and South Downs: 4
• London: 6
• East Anglia: 6
• Thames: 5
• Kent, South London and East Sussex: 8
• Hertfordshire and North London: 4
• prefer not to answer: 0
• not answered: 1

Question 12. What are your thoughts about how drought has been managed in your local area?

We received 32 comments to this question. We have analysed these comments and identified themes, which were discussed in the ‘Summary of key findings and actions we will take’, under all sections. Any area specific concerns were passed to the relevant local drought team for consideration and implementation into their local drought plans.

Question 13. Do you have any specific concerns about local environmental drought impacts that you would like us to know about?

We received 26 comments to this question. We have analysed these comments and identified themes, which were discussed in the ‘Summary of key findings and actions we will take’, under all sections. Any area specific concerns were passed to the relevant local drought team for consideration and implementation into their local drought plans.

Question 14. How engaged did you feel with the Environment Agency and other stakeholders during the last period of prolonged dry weather or drought? Why do you think this?

You said:

• not at all: 4
• a little: 5
• somewhat: 6
• moderately: 8
• very: 13
• prefer not to answer: 2
• not answered: 4

We received 29 comments to this question. We have analysed these comments and identified themes, which were discussed in the ‘Summary of key findings and actions we will take’, under Sections 4 and 5. Any area specific concerns were passed to the relevant local drought team for consideration and implementation into their local drought plans.

Question 15. How do you think the Environment Agency and others can better work together during prolonged dry weather and drought?

We received 34 comments to this question. We have analysed these comments and identified themes, which were discussed in the ‘Summary of key findings and actions we will take’, under all sections. Any area specific concerns were passed to the relevant local drought team for consideration and implementation into their local drought plans.