1-13 of 13 results for subject:"Flood control"
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To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of farmers having to store flood water on agricultural land on (a) feedstock, (b) grassland conditions, (c) crops and (d) food production for 2026/27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of farmers having to store flood water on agricultural land on (a) feedstock, (b) grassland conditions, (c) crops and (d) food production for 2026/27.
This Government has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament, including £5.9 billion for environmental farming schemes. The Government is focusing efforts on actions that have multiple benefits: for example, improving soil health so soil can hold more water, which reduces flood risk.
Farmers contribute to and are affected by water-related challenges. The measures the Government is introducing will help British farming thrive and boost farmers’ resilience to flooding while protecting this country’s water resources and meeting environmental goals.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will conduct an assessment of the value of agricultural land when making decisions to invest in flood defences being based on the value of the asset needing protection.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will conduct an assessment of the value of agricultural land when making decisions to invest in flood defences being based on the value of the asset needing protection.
On 14 October, following consultation, the Government announced major changes to its flood and coastal erosion funding policy.
The new rules will optimise funding between building new flood projects and maintaining existing defences and ensure that deprived communities continue to receive vital investment.
Our funding rules will support farming and rural communities and improve resilience against flood risk across the country.
The old rules gave higher payment rates for properties than agricultural or environmental benefits. We are now giving equal weighting to all the different types of benefits – a positive change for rural areas.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the relative cost benefit of attenuation ponds compared with repeated flood damage to (a) properties, (b) infrastructure and (c) agricultural land.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the relative cost benefit of attenuation ponds compared with repeated flood damage to (a) properties, (b) infrastructure and (c) agricultural land.
Attenuation ponds are deployed by Risk Management Authorities as a flood alleviation measure; they are determined by a range of factors including cost to benefit ratio and the standard of protection that can be achieved. In recent years, the highway sector has been innovative in its use of sustainable drainage and green infrastructure to help manage road flooding.
A new three-year £4.2 billion Flood and Coastal Risk Investment Programme will start in April 2026, where new projects will align with the strategic objectives set out in the Government’s new funding rules announced in October 2025. This means investment goes where it is most needed, accounting for flood risk, value for money, natural flood management opportunity and additional contributions to make Government investment go further. This investment will benefit properties, infrastructure and agriculture.
The Government and the Environment Agency are committed to improving England’s picture of flood and coastal erosion risk, including from surface water. The Environment Agency published its new National Flood Risk Assessment (NaFRA) data in 2025.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of attenuation ponds in reducing both the volume and flow of run from major roads where such works were not considered necessary pre-1990.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of attenuation ponds in reducing both the volume and flow of run from major roads where such works were not considered necessary pre-1990.
Attenuation ponds are deployed by Risk Management Authorities as a flood alleviation measure; they are determined by a range of factors including cost to benefit ratio and the standard of protection that can be achieved. In recent years, the highway sector has been innovative in its use of sustainable drainage and green infrastructure to help manage road flooding.
A new three-year £4.2 billion Flood and Coastal Risk Investment Programme will start in April 2026, where new projects will align with the strategic objectives set out in the Government’s new funding rules announced in October 2025. This means investment goes where it is most needed, accounting for flood risk, value for money, natural flood management opportunity and additional contributions to make Government investment go further. This investment will benefit properties, infrastructure and agriculture.
The Government and the Environment Agency are committed to improving England’s picture of flood and coastal erosion risk, including from surface water. The Environment Agency published its new National Flood Risk Assessment (NaFRA) data in 2025.
Motion lapsed. Motion made and Question proposed, that this House do now adjourn.
Motion lapsed. Motion made and Question proposed, that this House do now adjourn.
Last week, 50 mm of intense rain fell across large parts of Somerset and exacerbated the already saturated ground, with a major incident declared on Tuesday. With more unsettled weather in the forecast and high spring tides imminent, residents have told me that they are worried they could be facing a repeat of the devastating 2013-14 floods. With the increasingly unpredictable, intense and changing patterns of rainfall, communities must be given the resources they need to prepare extreme weather resilience plans.
I thank the Minister for her commitment to meet me in Somerset later this year, but will she bring forward that planned visit to Glastonbury and Somerton to witness the devastating impact that flooding is having on my communities while the floodwater levels remain up?
Last week, 50 mm of intense rain fell across large parts of Somerset and exacerbated the already saturated ground, with a major incident declared on Tuesday. With more unsettled weather in the forecast and high spring tides imminent, residents have told me that they are worried they could be facing a repeat of the devastating 2013-14 floods. With the increasingly unpredictable, intense and changing patterns of rainfall, communities must be given the resources they need to prepare extreme weather resilience plans.
I thank the Minister for her commitment to meet me in Somerset later this year, but will she bring forward that planned visit to Glastonbury and Somerton to witness the devastating impact that flooding is having on my communities while the floodwater levels remain up?
The hon. Lady raises a really important point—I have been following the situation really closely, and it is devastating. She is quite right to point out the trauma and upset caused by flooding. We invested £80 million in Somerset between April 2024 and March 2025 on flood and coastal risk management, and we will allocate another £75 million to Somerset between April 2025 and March 2026. I will check whether my diary aligns so that I can make an earlier visit.
That this House notes with concern the unprecedented impact of Storm Chandra on Somerset and the South West; expresses alarm that 50 properties have been flooded in the area, with more homes being evacuated due to further risk of flooding; recognises that Somerset is particularly vulnerable to flooding with low lying land and river catchments that can become overwhelmed very quickly in periods heavy and prolonged rainfall; notes the devastating impact flooding has on physical infrastructure with more than 850 road defects reported over recent days; expresses alarm that analysis of the impact of Environment Agency funding re-prioritisation found that Somerset could face a repeat of the devastating 2013/14 floods that impacted over 10,000 hectares of land; expresses further concern that residents living in at-risk communities face higher council tax and insurance bills and will be hit harder by cuts to the Environment Agency; further notes the decision by the Environment Agency to withdraw maintenance on Main Rivers in Somerset, instead putting responsibility on riparian owners; notes the impact that the crisis in local government funding has had on the ability of local lead flood authorities to take action; urges the Government to show leadership on flood resilience by urgently reversing funding cuts in order to allow areas to commit to long-term extreme weather resilience plans; and calls on the Government to raise the ELM budget by £1 billion, to support farmers in their transition to environmentally sustainable farming and recognise their key role in accepting and managing flood water.
That this House notes with concern the unprecedented impact of Storm Chandra on Somerset and the South West; expresses alarm that 50 properties have been flooded in the area, with more homes being evacuated due to further risk of flooding; recognises that Somerset is particularly vulnerable to flooding with low...
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps National Highways is taking to record the potential impact of historic drainage networks associated with major roads on (a) downstream flooding and (b) river pollution.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps National Highways is taking to record the potential impact of historic drainage networks associated with major roads on (a) downstream flooding and (b) river pollution.
National Highways’ (NH) standard practice is to report all flood events on the Strategic Road Network (SRN). This includes flood events within 200 metres of the SRN, or within 500 metres of a NH drainage asset. All such flood events are recorded in NH’s drainage data management system (DDMS). NH also maintain drainage and water quality records on its DDMS.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much money has been spent on improving flood defences in Somerset since 2014.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much money has been spent on improving flood defences in Somerset since 2014.
Since the flooding of 2013/14, over £200 million of Flood and Coastal Risk Management Grant-in-Aid (FCRM GiA) and local levy has been spent on improving the standard of flood protection in the local authority areas of Somerset, North Somerset, and Bath and North East Somerset. This is in addition to the annual budget of over £3 million for the Somerset Rivers Authority and the annual budget the Environment Agency has for repairing existing assets and individual property-level resilience programmes.
Improvements have included dredging, building new flood defences, raising river banks and roads and upgrading existing flood defences. The Environment Agency has also spent additional money on providing a local stock of Ultra High Volume Pumps so they are guaranteed to be available in the event of a major incident.
That this House notes the importance of Flood Action Week, the Environment Agency’s annual campaign encouraging individuals and communities to prepare for flooding by raising awareness of risks and offering guidance on staying safe; acknowledges that this year’s campaign, running from 13 to 19 October, coincides with the second anniversary of Storm Babet; recognises that, since then, communities including those in Somerset have endured repeated flooding from Storms Henk, Bert and Eowyn; highlights the campaign’s value in urging people to check flood risk, sign up for warnings, prepare emergency plans and take vital steps such as knowing how to turn off utilities and never walking or driving through flood water; regrets the recent withdrawal notice issued by the Environment Agency concerning the cessation of maintenance on Somerset’s designated Main Rivers, weakening local flood resilience; welcomes the Government’s £2.4 billion commitment to flood defences for 2024-25 and 2025-26, but urges that funding be extended and ring-fenced beyond this period to ensure long-term preparedness; recognises the vital role of farmers and landowners in natural flood management by storing water and slowing the flow to prevent downstream flooding; and calls on the Government to review the qualifying criteria for the Farming Recovery Fund so it better reflects the realities faced by rural communities and farmers living with the consequences of flooding.
That this House notes the importance of Flood Action Week, the Environment Agency’s annual campaign encouraging individuals and communities to prepare for flooding by raising awareness of risks and offering guidance on staying safe; acknowledges that this year’s campaign, running from 13 to 19 October, coincides with the second anniversary...
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to paragraph 4.62 of HM Treasury's document entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 12 June 2025, what proportion of flood defence spending from 2026-27 to 2028-29 will be allocated to Somerset.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to paragraph 4.62 of HM Treasury's document entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 12 June 2025, what proportion of flood defence spending from 2026-27 to 2028-29 will be allocated to Somerset.
We’re investing £2.65 billion over two years to March 2026 to maintain, repair, and build flood defences. We’re committing a further £4.2 billion over three years from April 2026, an increase of 5% per year, as announced at Spending Review 2025. We’re consulting on proposals for reforming flood defence funding, protecting all communities including rural, coastal, and poorer areas.
The list of projects to receive government funding will be consented on an annual basis through Regional Flood and Coastal Committees, with local representation.
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?
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?
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.
That this House is concerned by the impact of flooding caused by the recent Storm Henk following a year of frequent flooding in many parts of the UK; supports calls for extreme weather resilience plans to be in place for all communities in identified catchment areas; notes the significant impact flooding has on people’s mental health and the anxiety it can cause; recognises that some of the most vulnerable people in society are unequally affected by flooding; understands that the increased cost burden on homeowners damaged by flood damage through increased insurance or uninsurable homes is significant; and calls on the Government to increase Environmental Agency funding in order to increase the flood resilience of communities across the UK.
That this House is concerned by the impact of flooding caused by the recent Storm Henk following a year of frequent flooding in many parts of the UK; supports calls for extreme weather resilience plans to be in place for all communities in identified catchment areas; notes the significant impact...