As the climate changes and flows reduce or become more variable, more licences are likely to require changes, making this problem much worse and more expensive. Officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) worked closely with the Environment Agency, and representatives from a wide range of other organisations, in order to fully develop the policy options for reform. These strains can arise from rapid demographic and economic changes, droughts, and climate change, or over-allocation of the resources for consumptive uses.