The government hopes to set out its policies to better prepare the UK for flood and coastal erosion in a government policy statement by the end of 2019
Flood Re has welcomed the government’s announcement that £62 million in funding will be awarded to various projects to improve flood defence in the UK.
This includes the government’s commitment to invest £2.6bn over six years up until 2021 to better protect 300,000 homes across the country.
The funding was announced on Wednesday by environment secretary Theresa Villiers. She said that “events this summer have shown that investing in flood risk management is more important than ever”.
It will be awarded to 13 projects to improve the existing defence against flood across Yorkshire, Cumbria, the North East and the South East of England, boost economic regeneration and increase prosperity in those areas.
These projects should provide protection for more than 9,000 homes, many of which are in communities that have suffered from flooding during winter 2015 – when heavy rainfall in Great Britain and Ireland led to floods.
It follows the partial collapse of Whaley Bridge.
The 13 projects are as follows:
| Project | Location Additional | Funding (£m) | Potential leveraging of partnership funding contributions (£m) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Defences | Lincolnshire | 1.2 | 0.8 |
| Project | Location Additional | Funding (£m) | Potential leveraging of partnership funding contributions (£m) |
| Stokesley Flood Alleviation Scheme | North Yorkshire | 1.8 | 0.0 |
| Project | Location Additional | Funding (£m) | Potential leveraging of partnership funding contributions (£m) |
| Marton West Beck - Middlesbrough | North Yorkshire | 1.8 | 0.4 |
| Project | Location Additional | Funding (£m) | Potential leveraging of partnership funding contributions (£m) |
| Shonks Mill Flood Storage Area (River Roding Project) | Essex | 5.1 | 4.8 |
| Project | Location Additional | Funding (£m) | Potential leveraging of partnership funding contributions (£m) |
| Preston and South Ribble | Lancashire | 15.8 | 9.5 |
| Project | Location Additional | Funding (£m) | Potential leveraging of partnership funding contributions (£m) |
| Sowerby Bridge | West Yorkshire | 1.7 | 0.0 |
| Project | Location Additional | Funding (£m) | Potential leveraging of partnership funding contributions (£m) |
| Tadcaster Flood Alleviation Scheme | North Yorkshire | 9.0 | 1.0 |
| Project | Location Additional | Funding (£m) | Potential leveraging of partnership funding contributions (£m) |
| Kendal | Cumbria | 5.0 | 6.8 |
| Project | Location Additional | Funding (£m) | Potential leveraging of partnership funding contributions (£m) |
| Egremont | Cumbria | 1.6 | 5.0 |
| Project | Location Additional | Funding (£m) | Potential leveraging of partnership funding contributions (£m) |
| Flimby | Cumbria | 0.4 | 0.0 |
| Project | Location Additional | Funding (£m) | Potential leveraging of partnership funding contributions (£m) |
| Mytholmroyd | West Yorkshire | 3.0 | 4.5 |
| Project | Location Additional | Funding (£m) | Potential leveraging of partnership funding contributions (£m) |
| Hebden Bridge | West Yorkshire | 11.0 | 1.5 |
| Project | Location Additional | Funding (£m) | Potential leveraging of partnership funding contributions (£m) |
| Brighouse | West Yorkshire | 5.0 | 6.4 |
Sensible decision
Andy Bord, chief executive of Flood Re, said: “Flood defences are essential to giving those who live in high-risk areas peace of mind that they are protected from the worst effects of flooding. Our recently commissioned research also found that defences are a sensible financial decision, saving the UK £1.1 billion a year.
“We therefore welcome the government’s announcement of an additional £62m to improve flood defences across the country.
“Alongside this, the government should continue to encourage take-up of resilience measures for homes in high-flood risk areas to reduce the upheaval for affected families when flooding does occur.”
Flood Re launched in April 2016 and exists to promote both affordability and availability of flood insurance for UK households.
By the end of this year, the government will set out its policies to better prepare the country for flood and coastal erosion in a government policy statement. This will then inform the Environment Agency, who will update its national strategy for flood and coastal erosion risk management which sets out a long-term plan for additional risks that climate change might bring.
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