New proposals to accelerate the construction of flood schemes and
protect thousands of homes and businesses in the nation's cities
and rural areas from the risks of flooding have been unveiled
today (Tuesday 3 June) by Floods Minister .
A simpler, transparent approach will replace the current complex
and labour-intensive process of applying for funding, which
disproportionately affects councils with less resources.
The proposals will make it easier for authorities, including
councils, to bid for central government funding. This will
benefit poorer councils who have less resource to commit to the
application process.
They will also ensure money is distributed more effectively
across the country – including for rural and coastal
communities.
And faster applications will help speed up delivery of vital
schemes – crucial to boosting the country's preparedness for
extreme weather events.
Established more than a decade ago under the previous government,
the existing outdated formula for distributing money to proposed
flood defences is complicated, slows down applications and
neglects more innovative approaches such as natural flood
management.
Speaking at the Flood & Coast Conference in Telford, Minister
Hardy outlined fresh proposals to replace this system and
introduce a simple, flexible and strategic approach to investment
in flood resilience projects.
Floods Minister said:
Councils have struggled for years with securing money for flood
defences due to a complex and archaic application process.
Dealing with the impacts of flooding gets in the way of growth
for businesses and can be devastating for hard-working families.
That is why, as part of our Plan for Change, this Government is
reforming how flood funds are distributed to protect businesses,
rural and coastal communities as we invest over £2.65 billion in
flood defences across the country.
Minister Hardy set out how the government will fully fund the
first £3 million of proposed flood and coastal erosion projects,
giving a crucial boost to schemes. For remaining costs above
this, schemes would only need to secure 10% of the remaining
costs from other sources, such as private investment, as the
government would cover the rest. This approach would mean more
schemes will see their funding gaps filled and stop local
communities needing to secure more funding themselves.
The consultation – which opens
today – will also seek views on how projects are prioritised
each year for delivery, such as on their value for money or
whether certain outcomes should be bolstered, such as for flood
resilience in deprived communities or the level of private
funding raised.
Delivering on the Government's Plan for Change, these proposals
will help boost economic growth, by empowering businesses to
inject money into local areas and thereby creating more
jobs.
Environment Agency Executive Director for Flood and
Coastal Risk Management, Caroline Douglass said:
Better protecting communities in England from the devastating
impacts of flooding is one of our top priorities as climate
change brings more extreme weather.
We support the government's bold strategic vision to transform
the approach to investment in resilience to flood and coastal
erosion, helping to streamline the delivery of flood schemes and
improve existing assets to protect communities better.
The consultation also outlines plans to mainstream investment in
natural flood management, which uses nature to reduce the risk of
flooding, while also providing wider benefits such as improved
water quality, vital habitats for wildlife and increased access
to nature. This will help boost protection for rural communities,
with dozens of projects under the Government's Natural Flood
Management programme already achieving this.
It also considers how communities can make better use of property
flood resilience measures, such as flood doors or smart air
bricks. These items help prevent water from entering a property
or reduce the amount of floodwater that enters during significant
flooding.
