Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Flood Preparedness Projects

Thursday 6 February 2025 · 5 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 5 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Government plans to consult on a new funding formula for flood defenses to ensure rural communities receive adequate support.
  • The Government will announce 31 flood preparedness projects by the end of March, including details on funding for specific constituencies.
  • The Minister acknowledges the importance of spending funds wisely on flood defenses to save money in the future, citing a 1 to 13 savings ratio.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Zöe Franklin Lib Dem Guildford
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The local flood forums in Guildford are addressing growing concerns about flooding. Rural and semi-rural areas often miss out on the necessary funding under previous formulas.

Question

Across my constituency of Guildford, the local flood forums work tirelessly, bringing together agencies and residents to address the growing concerns they have about flooding. Will the Minister provide detail on how the Government will ensure that constituencies like mine, which often miss out because they are semi-rural and urban, get the funding they need to address current flooding issues? How can we mitigate the growing flooding issues across Guildford in a holistic and sustainable way?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)

The hon. Lady is right to highlight that under the previous funding formula, rural communities often missed out on the defences they desperately need. We have set out plans to consult on a new formula that is going to be announced fairly shortly, and she will be very welcome to contribute to that.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide specific details about how funding will mitigate flooding issues in Guildford sustainably.

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Q2 Joshua Reynolds Lib Dem Maidenhead
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The Government is investing £2.6 billion in flood defences over two years.

Question

Will the Minister confirm what portion of the £2.6 billion allocated to flood preparedness will be used in my constituency of Maidenhead, specifically to protect the villages of Hurley and Cookham?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)

I think I will be getting a lot of questions like this today, Mr Speaker. We will announce where the 31 projects will be by the end of March. We will also be looking at where we have had to put money into maintenance and upgrading defences. We were left with flood defences in their worst state on record because of a complete dereliction of duty by the previous Government, so we have had to prioritise maintenance as well as building new defences, but I am hoping that the hon. Gentleman will not have to wait too long.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide specific details on how much funding will be allocated to Maidenhead specifically.

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Q3 Toby Perkins Lab Chesterfield
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The Minister has attracted significant investment for flood defences, but the state of flood defences is critical.

Question

My hon. Friend the Minister and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State deserve great credit for attracting the large investment that they have secured, but once they have finished the lap of honour, they will be aware that this is the first step up the mountain. The Minister is right that the Government have inherited flood defences that are in an appalling state, and the latest estimate shows that as many as 6 million houses are at risk of flooding. I call on her to get on with the flood improvements that we demand in Chesterfield. First, will she tell us more about how she will ensure the money will be spent wisely? Secondly, how will she ensure that the Treasury understands that this is not a one-year commitment, but something that we will need for the rest of this term in office?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)

I thank my hon. Friend for his question, and may I congratulate him on his recent engagement? He is right to point out the importance of money being spent wisely now to save money in the future. There are a couple of interesting factors: every £1 we spend on maintenance of flood defences saves £13 in damage prevention, and every £1 we spend on new defences saves £5 in damage prevention. Those are important statistics that I use frequently in negotiations about future spending reviews with Treasury officials.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not specifically address how the money will be spent wisely or communicate long-term commitments to the Treasury.

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Q4 Julie Minns Lab Carlisle
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The Government failed to deliver promised flood defences in Carlisle after the devastation of 2015.

Question

In the north of my constituency, between the Scottish border and Hadrian’s wall, lie the debatable lands, but in the centre of Carlisle lies a forgotten land along the River Caldew. It is forgotten because of the incompetence of the Conservatives, who failed to deliver the flood defences along the Caldew that were promised after Carlisle was devastated in 2015. Will the Minister remember the forgotten lands of Carlisle?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)

My hon. Friend makes a persuasive case, as she has done at every oral question time we have had so far. She is right to highlight the fact that not only did the previous Government leave our defences in the worst state on record, but they failed to spend some of the money that had been allocated. This Government are having to deal with that, along with the many other issues we are cleaning up.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide specific details on how she will address the forgotten lands in Carlisle.

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Q5 Sarah Dyke Lib Dem Glastonbury and Somerton
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The Government is investing in flood management solutions, including natural approaches.

Question

Yet another wet winter across Somerset highlights the need for the Government to urgently deliver solutions to mitigate the impact of flooding on farmland and protect domestic food production. The Brue headwaters multi-benefit project, facilitated by the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group South West, is working with farmers and landowners in Bruton, Charlton Musgrove and Wincanton to address flooding issues and to hold workshops that focus on natural flood management, to slow the flow of water across the upper Brue, thus reducing flooding, sediment run-off and the associated pollution of water- courses. Despite those efforts, many farmers in the catchment, and indeed the county and the country, are angry at the level of inundation of land that could be prevented by better flood management. How will the Minister work to support farmers, build flood resilience and protect food security?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Emma Hardy)

The hon. Lady is right to point out how angry farmers are and how they feel they have been let down by the previous Government on flood defences. The previous formula allocated funding only based on numbers of properties protected and paid little regard to rural areas. She also mentioned one of my favourite themes: natural flood management. We recently held a roundtable on that, with representatives from the NFU and the Country Land and Business Association, to talk about how we can better protect our rural areas in a more nature-friendly way.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide specific details on how the Government will support farmers to build flood resilience and protect food security.

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