Environment Agency: Flood Defence Expenditure

Debate between Lord Douglas-Miller and Lord Bishop of Chichester

Tuesday 20th February 2024 Lords Chamber

[Lord Douglas-Miller (Con)]

I am not sure why we would want to do that.

[The Lord Bishop of Edmundsbury and Ipswich]

My Lords, I thought my question was going to be off the point. One of the issues raised frequently with me by those managing the coastline in Suffolk is the disparity between flooding risks, for which the Environment Agency takes responsibility, and coastal erosion, which is managed by local authorities. What assessment have the Government made of the disparity of funding for these two vital activities?

[Lord Douglas-Miller (Con)]

There is a difficult balance to strike here in how you allocate the amount of money that we have to protect flooding defences right across the country, between the allocation made on the basis of risk and the amount of money located to areas where we can make the most difference in the shortest time.