Flooding: Rural Communities

Emma Hardy Excerpts

Wednesday 18th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)]

It is a pleasure to respond to the debate. I thank the hon. Member for Rutland and Stamford (Alicia Kearns) for initiating it, and for giving me an opportunity to outline the steps that the Government are taking to reduce flood risk and strengthen resilience in rural communities.

We began 2026 with record levels of rainfall in some parts of the country. Following Storm Chandra, I visited Somerset on 10 February with a Conservative Member, and witnessed the devastating impacts of flooding at first hand when one of the farmers took me in his tractor to see what had happened. What I saw could be described as flooding, but his farmland was basically under a lake. We had a good and helpful conversation about it, and I was particularly struck by what he said about the extra things that he did to support his community, in the way that the hon. Lady described. The farmers were there, helping people to go to the shops or to pick up their post. They were providing that additional service because they care about the communities of which they are part.

[Sir Ashley Fox]

I was grateful for the Minister’s visit to Somerset, but does she accept that when the Environment Agency announces that it is withdrawing from main river maintenance and will stop dredging the River Parrett, that is exactly the sort of action that contributes to the devastating flooding that she witnessed?

[Emma Hardy]

I will not make this about Somerset, I promise, but we had a very good conversation with the Environment Agency, the internal drainage boards and members of the council during that visit. We talked about the use of temporary pumps when a threshold is met, and discussed whether the threshold needs to be re-evaluated. Some really positive work is being done, with people looking into what has happened and what needs to be done. I hope that we shall be able to say a bit more about that in the coming weeks, but it was a very useful conversation. There was a willingness around the table to think about how we could get it right in an area that is very difficult and challenging to deal with because it is so flat, and relies so much on the use of pumps to move water around. The question of maintenance was discussed as well.

I want to acknowledge the vital work of local authorities, emergency services, members of the internal drainage boards, the voluntary community, the faith sector, and others who responded to the floods in Somerset, Dorset and other locations. The good news is that 24,500 properties were protected by the Environment Agency, but that, of course, is little consolation for the people whose properties were flooded. I also want to express my personal sympathies to all those who have been affected.

On Monday we held our sixth meeting of floods resilience taskforce, which is a fantastic group that brings everyone together. It includes the internal drainage boards, but also the Association of British Insurers, Flood Re and the flood action groups, which bring lived experience of flooding to the conversations. We bring everyone together for the flood action groups, and then there are task groups who go off and do work between the big meetings, such as looking at the experience of people from the point at which their properties have been flooded to the point at which they return to their properties. One of the questions that I want to ask is, “Where are the pain points along the way, and where are the difficulties?”

Once this is all set up and official, I should like all Members to feed in their experiences so we can identify the difficult points. I had a great conversation with Aviva last Thursday when I went to visit a house that had been improved through Build Back Better. Those people had had a wonderful experience, following the devastating thing that had happened, but we know that that is not universal.

[George Freeman]

The Minister has mentioned Aviva, one of Norfolk’s great companies and the biggest insurer of houses in the country. Has she seen its recent report, in which it calculates that about 4.78 million houses are at serious risk of flooding over the next 10 years? I congratulate he on securing the funding in the autumn, which I think was going to protect 60,000 houses, but does she agree that the Treasury should be thinking very deeply about the scale of this challenge in the context of national resilience?

[Emma Hardy]

The hon. Member prompts me to mention the biggest ever, greatest, most fantastic and largest investment in flood defences that this Government have just announced. On a more serious note, yes, Aviva did talk to me about that report, as he would imagine. We had a conversation about it and, without straying too much out of my remit and into planning, I believe that such conversations are ongoing with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

[Steve Barclay]

The Minister invited hon. Members to present pain points, so perhaps I can share one from my time in her Department. Natural England’s gold-plating of some of its statutory objectives often seemed at odds with the ministerial steers that were given. Does she feel she has sufficient control over the direction of Natural England in delivering the sort of actions that I am sure she discussed at the taskforce?

[Emma Hardy]

I would not want to advise the right hon. Gentleman, but I think hearts and minds is always a good way to win things in the Department. I do feel confident. There is a conversation about dredging, and the question of whether it is appropriate often comes up. When I have conversations with those from the Environment Agency, their response to me is, “It depends.” It depends on the river, it depends on where the flooding is, and it depends whether we want to move something quickly. Certainly, from everything they have told me, there is not a set policy against something; they just want to do what is best in the area. Of course, if hon. Members have examples that they want me to follow up, I am happy to hear them.

[Dr Ben Spencer (Runnymede and Weybridge) (Con)]

We are still waiting for delivery of the River Thames scheme in my area. While that is happening, we would be very grateful for some dredging, because at the moment there is no River Thames flood alleviation scheme. Will the Minister take this opportunity to reconfirm the Government’s commitment to delivering the River Thames scheme, which affects my constituency but also the neighbouring constituency of Spelthorne?

--- Later in debate ---

[Emma Hardy]

Actually, I had a conversation about the hon. Gentleman earlier on. In my meeting with him, we spoke about the local response to the flooding, and about how we can bring things together when it does not meet the level of the local resilience forum. I acknowledge that he had really interesting ideas about how recovery can operate at a local level, so I might invite him to send those in to me when we look at those pain points.

Earlier today, from 5.30 to 6.30 pm—I am losing track of time—the Environment Agency had a drop-in session in the House. It invited all Members to go in and have conversations about what is happening with their schemes this year. There is a record amount of money, which is fantastic news, so this is a massive build year. There is so much capital spend and so many things being built this year. Quite a bit of money is also going into the development of future projects. I apologise that I do not have the hon. Gentleman’s scheme in front of me, but he should ask the Environment Agency where it is with the scheme. No projects have been cancelled; they are either in development or are being built, so it is probably best to have that conversation with the EA.

I will get back to the questions that the hon. Member for Rutland and Stamford asked.

[Matt Rodda]

The Minister is making an excellent speech, but perhaps she would like to say a little bit about the importance of measures further upstream to protect my residents, and indeed those of the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Dr Spencer), in the River Thames catchment. It is obviously a huge catchment, and there are significant tributaries such as the Kennet, the Loddon and many others. In the past, she has referred to her interest in rewilding to manage the flood waters as they come down through the Thames, and in particular considering vegetation near rivers and various other measures to try to slow the flow of water.

[Emma Hardy]

It would not be a flooding debate without my hon. Friend’s contributions. I know how much he cares about both restoring nature and doing what he can to alleviate flooding. The new formula, which kicks in on 1 April, puts greater emphasis on natural flood management and how we can increase the number of nature-based solutions to flooding, where appropriate. That is absolutely something that I want to achieve, because not only is it more affordable and good for nature, but it can help alleviate flooding. That is of course part of the wider picture, and I thank him.

[Amanda Hack (North West Leicestershire) (Lab)]

As in the constituency of the hon. Member for Rutland and Stamford (Alicia Kearns), one of the impacts in Leicestershire has been the sheer volume of water, and the villages in rural parts of Leicestershire have just felt left behind when it comes to money. I am grateful that Diseworth was selected this time round, but I would be really grateful to hear the Minister’s view about the impact on rural communities and how work can be done to make sure that rural communities do not feel left behind by flood works.

[Emma Hardy]

That is absolutely at the forefront of my mind. Having been to see some of the farmers this year and before the election, and having had those conversations, I am actively looking at what would be a good solution to support our rural communities, bearing in mind the comment that although there may be fewer properties, that does not lessen the impact.

For the constituency of the hon. Member for Rutland and Stamford, the EA is developing a new hydraulic model and hydrology for the catchment to provide further information and a foundation for future flood risk management in the area. It would probably be helpful if the EA reached out to have a conversation with her to explain that in detail.

Just yesterday, we announced a £1.4 billion investment in flooding in 2026-27, which will help to protect tens of thousands of homes and businesses, and funding for more than 600 flood schemes across the country, including upgraded barriers, embankments and natural flood management projects that slow the flow, of which I am a huge fan. It includes £5.5 million for the lower risk debris screens project that will increase flood resilience in the hon. Member’s constituency and other Members’ constituencies, as part of wider investment across the east midlands. More than £260 million will be spent managing, maintaining and repairing EA assets, including those damaged by Storm Goretti and Storm Chandra, ensuring that vital protections remain strong when communities need them most. The investment forms part of the largest flood defence programme in English history, with at least £10.5 billion invested between 2024 and 2036 to protect homes, businesses and critical infrastructure in every corner of the country from the growing threat of flooding.

I am very happy to take away the question on how quickly section 19 reports are done. I am always mindful of how hard-working our local councillors are. They need to do something well and in a timely way, and there can be a tension between the two, but is important that section 19 reports are completed as quickly as possible, so that we can really understand what has happened and hopefully do something to mitigate it in future.

On the point the hon. Lady made about council tax, I will have to take that to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

[Alicia Kearns]

The Minister has been very generous with interventions. We are about to run out the clock. There were a few more questions and I would be very grateful if she would write to me on them. I know how diligently she fulfils her brief and I am really grateful to her for that, but it would be great to have answers to all the wider points I raised as well.

[Emma Hardy]

I am very happy to do that. Apologies; I normally listen out for the coughing that comes—[Interruption.] And there we have it!

In conclusion, the Government are committed to strengthening resilience to flooding. That not only keeps people safe, but supports economic growth in our rural and local communities across the country. By protecting businesses, reducing disruption and safeguarding jobs, these measures contribute to stability and growth in the face of increasing climate change and flood risk. The Government’s record investment in flood defences will benefit communities across the country.

Question put and agreed to.