Published on Thursday 19 March 2026
Following approval by Dorset Council Cabinet (3rd March), Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council’s Cabinet will consider Dorset joining the South West Flood & Coastal shared service.
South West Flood & Coastal (SWFaC) is a centre of expertise in Flooding & Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM), hosted by BCP Council. Its approach is to minimise the risk of flooding and coastal erosion working with local communities and partners, while aligning staff, skills and resources to provide a co-ordinated service.
Cllr Andy Hadley, Portfolio Holder for Climate Response, Environment and Energy, at BCP Council said: “The operating model for the shared service has already been working with East Devon, and enabled us to attract central government funding for a range of high-quality flood and coastal schemes to help people, nature and places adapt to the changing climate across both areas.
“The vision for the broader shared service has attracted specialist skills that would historically have been sourced through consultancy. This has been at no additional cost to the Council as the increased capability has attracted additional central government grant funding.
“Since September 2021, the BCP Flood & Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) team have been providing support and guidance to other local authorities in the South West including New Forest, Dorset, East Devon, Exeter, North Somerset, Teignbridge and Torridge.
"We are pleased that Dorset Council has seen the value and additional benefits provided by joining the shared service.”
The Environment Agency have the strategic overview for national FCERM delivery and encourage Councils to form partnerships.
In May 2024, East Devon District Council (EDDC) was the first to join the SWFaC shared service which has, since then, delivered new coastal defences in Seaton, and a 100-year Beach Management Plan for Exmouth and is currently progressing a multi-million pound coastal defence scheme in Sidmouth and a beach and cliff management plan for Budleigh Salterton.
The proposal for Dorset Council to join the South-West Flood & Coastal shared service will be discussed by BCP Council’s Cabinet on 26 March.
The full Cabinet report is available to view on BCP Council’s website here.