The government has today (Monday 8 July) launched a
call for
evidence which will form the basis for future policies
to protect people, businesses and the environment from the
devastating effects of flooding and coastal erosion.
Over the coming decades, flood and coastal erosion risks are set
to increase as a result of population growth and climate change.
In order to deal with these, the government is already providing
£2.6 billion over six years, delivering more than 1,000 projects
to better protect 300,000 homes. This is on top of £1 billion by
2020 to maintain flood defences.
Despite the investment, it is important to strengthen the flood
and coastal erosion policy framework to ensure that we can
continue to manage these risks effectively. That is why the
government will, by the end of this year, set out its policy
direction to better prepare the country for future flooding and
coastal erosion – while making the most of the opportunities for
wider economic, social and environmental benefits in our towns,
countryside and coast.
Responses to the Call for Evidence will be used to inform the
upcoming government policy statement on flooding and coastal
erosion, a national infrastructure strategy and the decisions
made in a spending review.
Environment Minister Thérèse Coffey
said:
“With one in six people in England already living in properties
at risk of flooding, and after a record investment in flood
defences from 2015-21 better protecting 300,000 homes, it is
important to explore how we can continue to manage these risks
effectively and prepare the country for the future.
“While the government leads the way in ensuring our people and
places are protected, we will be issuing a new national policy
statement later this year which will be informed by a number of
sources, including this call for evidence on which we are seeking
views on key issues.”
The Environment Agency will also update its national strategy for
flood and coastal erosion, based on the new government policy
statement and the responses to their own recent consultation.
- What do we mean when we talk about “resilience” – what could
a shared, clear and consistent understanding about what
resilience means look like so progress can be measured?
- Adapting to coastal change - what have coast protection
authorities done to join up decisions about managing the
coastline with wider plans for the area?
- Have businesses used the provision to claim corporation tax
relief on their contributions to government funded flood and
coast projects?
- Local funding initiatives for flood risk management – are
there examples of what worked well and what could be improved?
- How are developer contributions being used to fund work to
manage flood risks?
- Managing financial risks from flooding – how do organisations
manage the financial risks associated with flooding, in the
context of climate change?
It will run for six weeks and will be open to all interested
parties in England only.
The deadline for response is 19 August 2019.
