Events

Adapting to the 'New Normal' of Extreme Weather: Scaling Up Whole-of-Society Resilience

Date:     Wednesday 29th April 2026

Time:     10:00am - 3:40pm

Venue:  ONLINE Live Conference - Check Your System / Device Compatibility


  • Event Abstract
  • Programme
  • Key Speakers
  • Who Should Attend?
  • Marketing Opportunities

Extreme weather is no longer an isolated risk — it is a sustained and escalating challenge for the UK. Flooding, drought, heatwaves and major storms are increasing in frequency and intensity, placing growing pressure on critical infrastructure, public services, communities and business continuity.

This winter alone, January 2026 was among the wettest on record, with some areas receiving up to 170% of average monthly rainfall. River levels rose sharply, soils remain saturated and warnings of prolonged groundwater flooding underline how extreme weather events are becoming more severe, longer-lasting and less predictable.

The UK Government’s Resilience Action Plan sets out reforms to strengthen accountability, enhance Local Resilience Forum capability and embed a more coordinated, performance-driven approach to climate adaptation and extreme weather preparedness. The challenge now is turning policy ambition into practical delivery.

This timely digital conference brings together senior leaders from across government, emergency services, infrastructure and civil society to examine how to strengthen adaptation, protect critical systems, improve coordinated responses and embed a genuine whole-of-society approach to resilience.

Why Attend?

  • Hear from senior policymakers and resilience leaders driving delivery of the UK Government’s Resilience Action Plan
  • Understand escalating climate risks — including record rainfall, flood exposure and infrastructure vulnerability — and explore how adaptation and coordinated flood defence delivery can mitigate impact
  • Strengthen multi-agency emergency responses to increasingly complex and prolonged extreme weather incidents
  • Discover how embedding a genuine whole-of-society approach can enhance societal resilience and protect vulnerable communities
  • Interactive Question Time sessions with opportunities to engage with all speakers
  • Share ideas with fellow participants from local authorities, local resilience forums, emergency planning / civil contingencies, the police, fire and rescue services, health, the private and third sectors
  • On Demand – Exclusive access to speaker presentations and post-event resources

    • Resource - The UK Government Resilience Framework

    News - 27 April 2023: UKHSA launches new Adverse Weather and Health Plan

    News - 1 June 2023: UKHSA launches new alerting system in collaboration with the Met Office

    Guidance - 6 December 2023: National Audit Office report - Government Resilience: Extreme Weather

    Guidance - 17 July 2024: The London Climate Resilience Review Final Report

    Guidance - 18 July 2024: UK Covid-19 Inquiry: Resilience and preparedness (Module 1) Report

    Guidance - 25 March 2025: New national flood and coastal erosion risk information

    News - 21st May 2025: Government Taskforce meets on Merseyside to bolster nation’s flood resilience

    Policy Paper - 14 July 2025: UK Government Resilience Action Plan

    Speech: Security Minister Dan Jarvis - 21 October 2025: The Government's 'all of society' approach to building preparedness in a changing world

    9:30am

    Delegate Online Login

    10:00am

    Introduction by Webinar Organiser

    10:05am

    Chair's Welcome and Opening Remarks

    10:10am

    Keynote Address:

    Adapting to the ‘New Normal’ of Extreme Weather – The National Picture

  • Delivering the ambitions of the Resilience Action Plan in response to escalating climate risks
  • Strengthening Local Resilience Forum capability and national consistency
  • Embedding accountability and measurable progress across the resilience system
  • Scaling up a whole-of-society approach to preparedness
  • Looking to the future – Building a more adaptive, anticipatory and resilient UK

    • 10:30am

    Keynote Address: Questions and Discussion

    10:50am

    Comfort Break

    11:00am

    Panel Session One:

    Critical Systems and Climate Risk: Future-Proofing Infrastructure Resilience

  • Assessing evolving projections for heat, flooding and severe weather, including the impact of prolonged and record rainfall
  • Translating climate risk into long-term adaptation priorities within national and local resilience planning
  • Strengthening critical national infrastructure resilience across transport, energy, water and digital systems
  • Aligning investment — including nature-based and place-based solutions — with projected flood and heat risk
  • Examining the role of the Floods Resilience Taskforce in accelerating delivery and improving national coordination

    • Caroline Douglass, Executive Director of Flood and Coastal Risk Management (FCRM), Environment Agency; Member, Floods Resilience Taskforce

    11:50am

    Panel Session One: Questions and Discussion

    12:15pm

    Comfort Break

    1:00pm

    Panel Session Two:

    Command, Coordination and Communication: Strengthening the Multi-Agency Response to Extreme Weather Events

  • Enhancing multi-agency coordination across emergency services, local government, public health, transport and voluntary and private sector partners
  • Embedding core joint response principles — shared situational awareness, coordinated communication and timely decision-making during complex and prolonged incidents
  • Delivering timely warnings and clear public messaging throughout fast-moving and extended extreme weather events
  • Safeguarding essential services, critical supply chains and business continuity
  • Ensuring an effective transition from response to recovery, capturing lessons to strengthen future resilience

    • Alex Woodman, Chief Fire Officer, Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service; Portfolio Lead for Local Resilience, National Fire Chiefs Council

    1:50pm

    Panel Session Two: Questions and Discussion

    2:10pm

    Comfort Break

    2:20pm

    Panel Session Three:

    Scaling Up Whole-of-Society Resilience: Transforming Rhetoric into Reality

  • Embedding a genuine whole-of-society approach to resilience by clarifying roles and responsibilities across government, infrastructure providers, businesses and communities
  • Strengthening public risk literacy and preparedness during extreme weather events
  • Protecting communities disproportionately affected by heat, flooding and prolonged disruption
  • Co-producing locally grounded resilience strategies with community and voluntary sector partners
  • Building sustainable local capacity beyond emergency response to support long-term societal resilience

    • 3:10pm

    Panel Session Three: Questions and Discussion

    3:30pm

    Final Questions and Chair's Summary & Closing Comments

    3:40pm

    End of Online Conference

    *Please note the programme and timings are subject to slight alteration without notice
    Environment Agency

    Caroline Douglass, Executive Director of Flood and Coastal Risk Management (FCRM), Environment Agency; Member, Floods Resilience Taskforce

    Hertfordshire FRSNFCC

    Alex Woodman, Chief Fire Officer, Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue Service; Portfolio Lead for Local Resilience, National Fire Chiefs Council

    Policy Foresight

    More Speakers Coming Soon...

    • Representatives from Police, Fire & Rescue and Ambulance Services
    • Emergency Planning & Management Teams
    • EPRR Officers
    • First & Second Line Civil Contingency Leads
    • Flooding Leads
    • Heads and Members of Local Resilience Forums (LFRs)
    • Local Authority Officers & Councillors
    • Planning Officers
    • Climate Adaptation Leads
    • Chief Fire Officers
    • Police & Crime Commissioners
    • Chief Constables, Asst Chief Constables & Deputies
    • Detective Inspectors & Detective Sergeants
    • Community Safety Managers
    • Community Engagement Managers
    • Community Safety Coordinators
    • Emergency Care Leads
    • Ambulance Services
    • NHS Organisations
    • Primary Care Trusts
    • Public Health Directors
    • Health Service Professionals
    • Head of Commissioning and Procurement
    • IT & Shared Services Teams
    • Critical Communication Network Providers
    • Risk Management Professionals
    • Business Continuity Teams
    • Resources & Estate Management Teams
    • Private Sector Organisations
    • Voluntary & Community Organisations
    • Academics & Researchers

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