Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans are currently being considered to make Britain more resilient to extreme weather.

Enhancing Britain’s resilience to extreme weather events requires coordination and collaboration between different Government departments. The Cabinet Office is the lead government department responsible for severe weather, including severe storms, extreme heat and extreme cold. The Cabinet Office plays a coordinating role, bringing together departments with responsibility for leading the response planning and longer term resilience of the sectors they represent.

Work is underway across government to increase resilience to extreme weather events. From £710 million to fund upgrades to the school estate to the construction of nine new reservoirs across the country. Between April 2024 and March 2026, the government invested £2.65 billion to construct new flood schemes and repair existing defences. Funding for the fire service has also increased by £100 million and water companies have been directed to step-up their work to fix leaks and preserve water.

In July, we announced that we will be delivering a campaign to raise awareness of the simple steps households can take to keep themselves safe during everyday emergencies, like extreme weather. We’ll be announcing more information and beginning the campaign later this year.