Local Government Assocoation webinar: El Niño and Winter Weather – Is your council ready to protect its highway network and communities?

The Local Government Association is hosting a webinar for councillors, offering guidance on their role in preparing for, responding to and supporting recovery from severe winter weather.

Webinar Date and Time: Tuesday, 10th November 2026, 10:30AM-12:00PM

Winter forecasts point to one of the strongest El Niño events on record and warmer-than-normal seas around the UK, and with them a mild, wet and stormy start to winter that follows the same pattern as 2015, when Storms Desmond and Eva struck. No forecast can say exactly where or when the worst will fall, but this is the planning assumption councils should now be working to: prolonged and repeated flooding, serious transport disruption and wider impacts on communities and local services, with the western side of the UK most exposed. There is also a risk of cold weather returning in the New Year onto saturated ground, with implications for winter service and salt stocks.

This session will explore the winter outlook, explain how forecasts and warnings should be interpreted, and look at what previous major weather events have taught councils about preparedness and resilience. Building on the previous LGA webinar in July on Extreme weather and the resilient highway network, this session will highlight roads as vital lifelines for emergency services, care workers, schools and local supply chains, and the challenge of mutual aid when neighbouring councils are dealing with the same event.

Councillors will gain practical insights into supporting operational decisions, communicating trusted information, identifying vulnerable residents and isolated communities, conveying real need when a whole region is affected, and planning for recovery from day one. Presentations will be followed by a Q&A, allowing members to ask questions freely.

Find out more and register here.

(Image – Local Goverment Association)