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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the risk of flooding in central Bedfordshire.

The Environment Agency (EA)’s current Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Capital Programme (2021-2027) includes 10 projects within the central Bedfordshire area, with a current estimated total project value of £3.5 million. This includes several schemes delivered by Central Bedfordshire Council to better manage surface water in locations which have experienced surface water flooding historically, including Blunham and Shefford. The EA is also completing a first stage appraisal of the flood risk to Leighton Buzzard to better understand the case for flood risk mitigation and the likelihood of achieving a cost beneficial solution. It expects this to be completed by autumn 2024.

The EA’s annual maintenance programme for main rivers in the catchment includes desiltation projects, vegetation clearance and flood defence improvements, and is funded by a combination of Government grant in aid and local flood funding.

The EA is also working in partnership with Central Bedfordshire Council, the Internal Drainage Board and Anglian Water to gather evidence about flooding during January 2024, following one of the wettest winters on record. This work will identify the causes of flooding and determine any necessary actions. The EA has also been engaging with communities to understand the impacts from these events.