FOI climate
Case reference FOI2026/00423
Received 21 February 2026
Published 25 March 2026
Request
Considering that we are now half-way through the implementation period of the Surrey Adapt programme 2023 – 2028, can you please answer the following questions:
1. Has your council completed a Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment? If so, when, and what were the top 5 risks identified?
2. Have you developed a directorate/department-level Adaptation and Resilience Plan as targeted for 2027? If not, what is the timeline?
3. How have you integrated climate resilience considerations into procurement processes? Can you provide examples?
4. What training on climate adaptation has been provided to council staff and elected members?
5. How is climate resilience reflected in your corporate risk register?
Response
Please see the response to the questions below.
Considering that we are now half-way through the implementation period of the Surrey Adapt programme 2023 – 2028, can you please answer the following questions:
1. Has your council completed a Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment? If so, when, and what were the top 5 risks identified?
Guildford Borough Council has not produced a standalone Climate Risk and Vulnerability Assessment, but its Strategic Flood Risk Assessment and Climate Change Action Plan together provide a clear picture of local climate risks. These documents identify the borough’s main vulnerabilities as flooding from rivers, surface water, groundwater, sewers, and artificial sources, with the Action Plan also highlighting extreme heat as a growing concern.
2. Have you developed a directorate/department-level Adaptation and Resilience Plan as targeted for 2027? If not, what is the timeline?
We have not produced directorate‑level Adaptation and Resilience Plans targeted for completion by 2027.
3. How have you integrated climate resilience considerations into procurement processes? Can you provide examples?
Guildford Borough Council integrates climate resilience into procurement through its Corporate Procurement Strategy 2025–2027, which requires all third‑party contracts to support the council’s climate commitments by considering wider impacts such as air quality, waste, wellbeing and economic resilience. This approach is reflected in procurement for renewable‑energy and efficiency upgrades like solar panels and air‑source heat pumps, sustainable transport infrastructure including EV and active‑travel measures, habitat restoration projects that strengthen natural flood and heat resilience, and sustainable construction guidance applied through planning processes.
4. What training on climate adaptation has been provided to council staff and elected members?
No training on climate adaptation specifically, though training and briefings have been provided with regards to climate change and specifically the new Internal Carbon Price policy which seeks to put a price on carbon emissions with a view to improve financial resilience to changes in climate.
5. How is climate resilience reflected in your corporate risk register?
We do not list a specific climate resilience risk in our Corporate Risk Register. Instead, climate‑related issues are incorporated within the broader strategic risk “Climate change and achieving net zero”, ensuring they are managed through our overall corporate risk framework. This approach means services are responsible for planning for climate‑related impacts within their own areas, while the corporate register captures only the highest‑level strategic risks.
Yours sincerely,
Climate Change Team
Guildford Brough Council
Documents
This is Guildford Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.