Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the capital budget for flood defences was in each of the last three fiscal years; and what the capital budget for flood defences is for each year of the 2025 Spending Review period.

We are investing £2.65 billion over two years in 2024/25 to 2025/26 maintain, repair, and build flood defences. As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, the Spending Review settlement committed a further £4.2 billion total investment over three years (2026/27 to 2028/29) to construct new flood schemes and maintain and repair existing defences across the country. This is £1.4 billion on average each year – a 5% increase on the current average of £1.33 billion over 2024/25 and 2025/26. Further details will be published at Main Estimates.

Information on previous years spend is published as part of the Environment Agency Section 18 reports which can be found here Flood and coastal erosion risk management annual report - GOV.UK.

We are consulting on proposals for reforming flood defence funding, protecting all communities including rural, coastal, and poorer areas.