National Flood and Coast 2026 Resilience in Action award goes to the Resilient Roch Project supported by BIBA and Royton Insurance
Congratulations to The Resilient Roch Project for Flood and Financial Inclusion for their award.
The Resilient Roch Project is one of 25 funded projects that are part of the Government’s National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England. It is organised by Rochdale Borough Council and Paul Cobbing, previously CEO National Flood Forum, and JBA Consulting. Rochdale is an area that has been severely flooded from the River Roch and is at high risk of future flood disruption.
Among the winning project’s core aims is to:
- Increase people’s capacities to respond to flooding
- Develop better financial resilience for homes and businesses
- Deliver a step change in community participation
Cobbing recognised early the value of BIBA and its members for our work delivering access to insurance, and as trusted risk advisers. Brokers like Bernie Coughlin of Royton Insurance have supported the project from the start, to encourage homes and businesses to engage with insurance, inspiring trust by delivering information and education to the heart of local communities.
Rochdale Borough Council officers are delivering a joint message of property flood resilience measures, and insurance from local brokers, to help insulate the community from future flood shock.
Information from a new insurance survey will give insights to enable leaders like Cobbing and Coughlin to respond to people’s insurance needs and overcome barriers.
By engaging directly with communities, enlightened councils, like Rochdale, can deliver a strong financial resilience message: the value and reassurance insurance provides, and the help of a broker to get there.
