Indications are that all of the £800 million has been spent in 2023/24. The final accounts are subject to audit, and we will be able to confirm actual spend once the audited accounts have been laid before Parliament. The current timeline is early October, but this is subject to change, depending on recess and party conference dates.

Flood defence spending is a devolved matter so questions about flood management spending and policy should be addressed directly to the devolved administrations.  Defra does not have information on devolved administration spending.

The Barnett formula is applied in the normal way to any new funding provided to UK Government departments when the funding is allocated to those departments’ budgets. ‘Barnett’ funding to Devolved Administrations is not ring fenced.

In Northamptonshire, over the period 2010/11 to 2022/23 the Environment Agency has better protected 310 homes from flood risk via a capital investment of £14.7 million total spend, sourced from both Government Grant in Aid funding as well as partnership funding sources.

In Northamptonshire, over the period 2023/24 to 2029/30, the Environment Agency is forecasting to better protect 486 homes from flood risk via a capital investment of £18.4 million total spend. This represents the current consented Flood and Coastal Risk Management investment programme, which was approved in February 2024.

The Environment Agency is working with Risk Management Authorities and communities across Northamptonshire. It should be noted that the former Northamptonshire County Council was successful in securing funding for a number of county-wide schemes which are now being progressed by the Unitary Authorities. Relatively small allocations have been used to benefit multiple communities and pave the way for increased resilience. In terms of council-led projects, the current priorities are East Brook Culvert in Kettering for North Northants Council (£425,000 future allocation, £227,000 previous spend) and St Leonards Road in Northampton for West Northants Council (£285,000 future allocation). Notable Environment Agency projects include development of the Nene Water Management Strategy (£3.5 million over a three-year programme) to provide a clear direction for the most economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable way to manage the river and waters between Northampton and Peterborough. There is also investment of £949,268 in the ongoing maintenance of the Northampton Flood Defences.

For the current financial year 2024/25, the Environment Agency has an allocation of £1,293,000 for flood defence maintenance work in Northamptonshire. This includes items such as weed cutting, grass cutting, fish and eel pass maintenance, mechanical and electrical maintenance work to assets, electricity and general operational costs. The Environment Agency will prioritise its statutory duties and those works which provide the highest benefit for reducing flood risk.

In Northamptonshire, over the period 2023/24 to 2029/30, the Environment Agency is forecasting to better protect 486 homes from flood risk via a capital investment of £18.4 million total spend. This represents the current consented Flood and Coastal Risk Management investment programme, which was approved in February 2024. We will continue to work with the Risk Management Authorities and communities to develop and progress identified projects.

Following the flooding experienced during the winter of 2023/2024, we will continue to work with partner Risk Management Authorities and communities to identify any needs for additional flood risk management work – either capital or revenue. We are currently engaging with a variety of communities (directly and with other partners) that experienced flooding to assist them in understanding their flood risk and working to develop community resilience so that these communities are more prepared and can recover faster following future flooding.

The Government is investing £5.6 billion between 2021 and 2027 to better protect communities across England from flooding and coastal erosion. This includes a record £5.2 billion capital investment programme as well as a £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme, which will benefit rural and coastal communities.

Approximately 40% of schemes, and 45% of investment, from the £5.2 billion programme will better protect properties in rural communities, supported by interventions such as the £100 million Frequently Flooded Allowance and the £25 million Natural Flood Management Fund. In April 2023, the Government announced the first 53 communities in England to benefit from the £100 million Frequently Flooded Allowance. These communities have been allocated a total of £48 million, better protecting more than 2,300 households and businesses across the country. A second round of schemes benefitting from the Frequently Flooded Allowance will be announced in due course.

In addition, the Government recently announced £75 million of funding to Internal Drainage Boards to help better protect agricultural land and rural communities from flooding.

As part of Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme, Ministers have allocated £36 million over six years to develop a ‘Coastal Transition Accelerator Programme’ to trial opportunities and innovative practical actions in a small number of coastal areas at significant risk of coastal erosion, to transition and adapt to a changing climate.

In addition, Defra has committed to review policy on shoreline management plans by 2026 to ensure they remain fit for the future, and are transparent, continuously reviewed and enable coastal protection authorities to make robust decisions when managing flood and coastal erosion risk for their areas.

The Bridgwater Tidal Barrier project is on programme to deliver an operational barrier by early 2027.

The Government is investing £5.6 billion between 2021 and 2027 to better protect communities across England from flooding and coastal erosion. This investment includes a record £5.2 billion capital investment programme, a £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme, £170 million for economic recovery from flooding and over £30 million of funding for flood incident management.

In the £5.2 billion capital investment programme, funding is consistently distributed across the country wherever the risk is greatest and the benefits are highest. The Environment Agency administer this funding to maintain flood and coastal risk management (FCRM) assets across NW Leicestershire and is responsible the management of flood risk from watercourses designated Main River. They complete routine maintenance on assets with support from partners/contractors and this programme includes regular vegetation management, blockage removal and conveyance work to keep watercourses clear.

Packington was impacted by flooding in September 2023 and the Environment Agency are working with Leicestershire County Council (LCC) to assess what improvements can be made locally, such as improved flood warnings, property flood resilience (PFR) and natural flood management (NFM) mitigation measures.

A further 63 properties in the constituency were affected by flooding during Storm Babet in October 2023, and 43 impacted by Storm Henk in January 2024. In the current national 6-year programme, more than £0.5 million of government investment is planned by the Environment Agency to support schemes led by LCC at Breedon on the Hill, Diseworth & Long Whatton. Again, a variety of PFR, NFM and other flood alleviation measures will be utilised, aiming to better protect more than 60 properties.

The Environment Agency has also improved local flood modelling information and used this to work with developers to reduce flood risk in Ashby-de-la-Zouch.

We want to mainstream the use of Natural Flood Management (NFM) and expect the £25 million NFM programme will help inform how we do that. While we do not currently have plans for further rounds, we would encourage applicants to apply for NFM funding as part of our wider £5.6 billion investment in flood and coastal defences.

Tree planting can help us meet a wide range of strategic objectives, including the 25 Year Environment Plan’s commitment to limit damage to rivers and the pledge to reduce flooding through natural flood management solutions.

The England Woodland Creation Offer recognises the benefits of planting riparian buffers through specific Additional Contributions. These contributions support riparian tree planting, flood management and improved water quality.

The Government is also supporting woodland creation along rivers through the ‘Woodlands for Water’ project. This pilot project works with the Riverscapes Partnership to facilitate the creation of riparian woodland corridors in six river catchment areas.

This year we are introducing an action into the Sustainable Farming Incentive for the management of habitat strips next to watercourses. This will support the planting of trees and scrub for biodiversity, flooding and water quality benefits.

We are investing approximately £1.3 billion of our £5.6 billion flood and coastal risk management investment programme in coastal projects. They will better protect over 100,000 properties, as well as critical infrastructure. The Environment Agency is also running the £36 million Government-funded coastal transition accelerator programme, which is funding coastal authorities so they can explore how to better support their communities.

What steps his Department is taking to strengthen coastal defences.

There is no better champion than my hon. Friend on the challenge of coastal erosion. The Environment Agency is developing a new national flood risk assessment and an updated coastal erosion risk map to improve how we access flood risk information and communicate it to our communities. Those new datasets and maps will include the potential impact of climate change on flood risk and coastal erosion, and will help to inform how we better protect homes, businesses, farmland and infrastructure along our coastal communities.

The East Anglian coast has taken a real battering in recent months, and projects such as the Lowestoft flood defence scheme have been delayed. Our

region is the most vulnerable to climate change, and is a lead player in delivering net zero for the UK, so will my hon. Friend consider a climate change risk assessment on which a regional coast defence strategy can then be prepared to properly protect homes, businesses, ports, farmland and infrastructure, as well as nurture our unique coastal environment?

I and my officials have been reviewing the applications that have been put forward, and announcements will be coming very soon. The Government are investing £1.3 billion in flood defences, which is more than ever before, and we will continue to ensure that we are better protecting coastal communities.

We learned from the Public Accounts Committee report that 500 flood defence projects have been cancelled, just like the one in Lowestoft. Whether the Minister chooses to use the words “cancelled,” “deferred,” “delayed” or “on a long list” makes no difference, because he is still refusing to tell us where those projects are. Why does he insist on holding residents in contempt by not telling them the fate of their local flood defences?

What the locations are of successful applicants to the Natural Flood Management Programme.