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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve flood defences in and around Worksop to prevent a repeat of the November 2019 floods.

Worksop was significantly affected by flooding in the November 2019 floods. In total 128 residential properties and 180 businesses, a mix of small to large, including the bus depot and main Post Office were unfortunately flooded. Since then the Environment Agency has met with residents and has been working with professional partners to ensure Worksop is more resilient to any future floods.

On our ability to respond to flooding, the Environment Agency has met with Nottinghamshire County Council, Bassetlaw District Council and the Canal and Rivers Trust to review our capability within Worksop and the surrounding area. This review will ensure better coordination of all flood assets on the ground to maximise the effectiveness of our collective incident response.

To improve flood defences, since November 2019 the Environment Agency has reviewed the maintenance regime to the River Ryton at Worksop and associated flood risk assets, and undertaken routine works in the area. The Environment Agency has also undertaken enhanced maintenance in the Worksop area, including silt removal, tree maintenance and blockage removal.

The Environment Agency is also currently producing a River Ryton Catchment Flood Model that will:

• Consider future flood risk options for Worksop and the area, including the potential for future capital investment. Work to consider what viable options are available will commence in 2021.
• Improve local Flood Warning Service for Worksop
• Provide more detailed information for the public and the Government's professional partners to assist in the preparation and response to flood risk.

The development of any capital intervention will need to demonstrate it is technically feasible, is economically viable and can be financed in line with partnership funding rules.

The Environment Agency expects the modelling to begin delivering outputs by the end of 2020 which will then be used to develop the above flood risk improvements. We will continue to work with our partners to ensure Worksop is resilient in the future.

On 14 July, the Government published a long-term Policy Statement setting out our plan to create a nation more resilient to future flood and coastal erosion risk. The Policy Statement outlines five ambitious policies and over 40 supporting actions?which will?accelerate progress to?better protect and better prepare the country against flooding and coastal erosion in the face of more frequent extreme weather as a result of climate change. Alongside the Policy Statement, the Secretary of State has laid before Parliament the Environment Agency’s updated National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England which will provide direction to the work of risk management authorities on the ground and includes strategic objectives to improve the resilience of the nation through to 2100. Taken together, this means that our country will be significantly more resilient to flooding and coastal erosion.