Flood Control

(asked on 28th August 2020) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what resources his Department is providing to local authorities to help them (a) manage flood risk and (b) improve their flood mitigation measures.


Answered by
Rebecca Pow Portrait
Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This question was answered on 3rd September 2020

The Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government provides funding to local government to carry out functions including managing flood risk and coastal erosion, through the local government finance settlement. The Government is committed to reforming the funding framework for local government funding so that it is simpler, more up to date, and more transparent. This will include a review of local government funding for statutory flood and coastal erosion risk management functions, including the way in which it is allocated, to ensure it is fair and matches the needs and resources of local areas – recognising that some places face different risks.

In March of this year the Government committed to a record £5.2 billion to better protect a further 336,000 properties across all areas of England, and in July 2020, the government published a long-term Policy Statement which sets out our ambition 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 addition, the Government has committed to invest £200 million to deliver innovative actions which will test new ways to improve resilience to flooding and coastal erosion. 25 areas will benefit from this funding in addition to the four areas we announced in July which will trial and develop ways of planning ahead and making wise investment choices for the decades to come in the face of the long-term uncertainties brought by climate change. The Environment Agency will invite Lead Local Flood Authorities and Coast Protection Authorities to work with local partners on expressions of interest later this year.

The Government is also investing a further £2.9 million which is supporting three regional property flood resilience pathfinder projects to create demonstration centres, engage with businesses, and advice portals, to help people to learn about the benefits of installing resilience measures in their homes.

Reticulating Splines