Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department plans to take to help improve road infrastructure to respond to flooding risks in (a) Somerset and (b) the South West.

The Government takes flooding and its effects seriously, and has established a Floods Resilience Taskforce, which will enable close working between national, regional, and local government, including the devolved administrations, along with flood risk partners.

The Government is providing local authorities with an additional £500 million of funding for local highway maintenance for 2025/26 compared to 2024/25, with Somerset Council receiving £44.9 million in 2025/26 for highway maintenance. It is up to local highway authorities to determine how best to spend this funding on maintaining and protecting their roads, including making them more resilient to flooding.

The Department is also working with the UK Roads Leadership Group’s Adaptation, Biodiversity and Climate Board to produce best practice advice and guidance to local highway authorities to help them deal with the effects of climate change.