Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Communities Vulnerable to Flooding

Thursday 20 March 2025 · 2 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 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Patrick Hurley questioned the Minister about the need to review the Environment Agency's funding formula for flood defences to better support agricultural land.
  • Jo Platt thanked the Minister for visiting Lilford in Leigh after severe flooding and expressed concerns about residents struggling with insurance companies.
  • The Minister mentioned that a consultation to change the flooding formula will be announced shortly, aiming to address issues affecting rural communities.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Patrick Hurley Lab Southport
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The question is prompted by concerns over the current funding formula for flood defenses, which does not adequately consider agricultural land. This issue affects communities' ability to protect themselves from flooding.

Question

The Environment Agency allocates its budgets to carry out work on flood defences on the basis of a funding formula, but that formula does not give sufficient weight to agricultural land. Will the Minister undertake a review of the formula, so that agricultural land gets the flood defences it needs?

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

I thank my hon. Friend for raising this important issue. I completely agree that the previous flooding formula did not work for rural communities, which is exactly why we are consulting to change it. The consultation will be announced shortly, and I encourage him and every Member across the House to get involved in shaping the formula, so we can make sure it delivers the right outcomes for everybody up and down our country.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Emma Hardy did not commit to a specific review of the funding formula but rather said they are consulting on changing it soon.

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Q2 Jo Platt Labour (Co-op) Leigh and Atherton
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

Following a public meeting after devastating New Year's Day flooding in Lilford, residents are facing ongoing struggles with their insurance companies, including high premiums and excess fees. This is prompting concerns about the support provided by the insurance industry to those affected.

Question

First, I thank the Minister for visiting Lilford in Leigh after the devastating new year’s day flooding. We had a public meeting on Saturday, and three months after those floods, residents are still struggling to get any real progress from their insurance companies, while others face extortionate premiums and excess fees. What discussions is the Minister having with the insurance industry on improving how they support residents?

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

It was a pleasure to see my hon. Friend and see how tirelessly she was championing and supporting her local constituents after such a devastating flood. Concerns around flood insurance have been raised, so the floods resilience taskforce is setting up an insurance sub-group, through which some of its members will deep-dive into the challenges and opportunities for improvement on flood defences. If she has any further evidence that she would like me to look at, it would be very helpful to receive it.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Emma Hardy did not specify ongoing discussions with the insurance industry but mentioned an upcoming sub-group focused on challenges and opportunities for improvement in flood defences.

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