Written statement: Investing in our flood defences in 2026/2027 and beyond - Mar 17

Minister for Water and Flooding (Emma Hardy): Storm Chandra brought heavy rain and flooding to the UK in January - I want to again acknowledge the vital work of Local Authorities which were badly impacted by the flooding, such as those in Somerset, Dorset and Teignbridge District. My thanks also to the vital work of the emergency services, members of the internal drainage boards, the voluntary community and faith sector, and others who responded. Approximately 24,500 properties were protected by Environment Agency assets across all locations.

This is not an isolated event. That is why in the last 18 months, this Government has built our resilience to these events.

As well as investing £2.65 billion in flood defences in our first two years, and funding actions to make farmland more resilient to the effects of flooding and climate change, we moved quickly once in government to establish a Flood Resilience Taskforce to provide oversight of national and local flood resilience and preparedness.

The Taskforce has been working since September 2024 and has reviewed readiness helping us be in a better position before the storms came, it's also secured training for over 1,500 emergency responders, introduced an improved forecasting service for surface water flooding and a new Risk Vulnerability Tool, to help better identify those communities most vulnerable to flooding. The Taskforce includes Defra, Cabinet Office, MHCLG and DFT Ministers, representatives from the Environment Agency, Met Office, Local Resilience Forums, and the National Farmers Union.

Yesterday, I chaired the sixth meeting of the full Taskforce which focused on the national and local response to this autumn and winter's flooding. We considered wider societal flood resilience, the Environment Agency's refresh of its national floods and coastal erosion risk management strategy, and an update on progress of the implementation of the FloodReady report.

After more than a decade of underinvestment by the previous Government in the flood defence schemes needed to protect our homes, this Labour Government is investing £4.2 billion over the next three years (2026/2027 to 2028/2029) to construct new flood defence schemes and maintain and repair existing defences across the country.

Today, I am pleased to announce how we will invest the £1.4 billion we secured for the first of those three years - 2026/2027 - in over 600 flood defence schemes spanning every region of England.

The schemes include a range of different types of flood defence projects – natural flood management schemes, beach management as well as the construction of major barriers to help protect coastal and inland communities.

To name just a few, £8 million will be invested in the Pevensey Bay to Eastbourne Coastal Management Scheme, helping to protect over 18,000 properties at risk from coastal flooding.

£37 million will be invested into the second phase of the ‘Our City our River' scheme, a major flood alleviation and regeneration programme along the River Derwent in Derby.

And in the North-West, £15 million will be invested in the Preston and South Ribble flood risk management scheme. The scheme is designed to reduce flood risk and provide protection for around 5,000 homes and businesses and also includes measures to address climate change, enhance local environments, and support growth and regeneration in the surrounding communities.

A map and list of all the schemes that will receive funding in 2026/2027, published on gov.uk, demonstrates how this investment will benefit communities in every part of the country: Asset Information and Maintenance Programme(opens in a new tab).

As well as funding new defences, our investment will fund the maintenance of our existing defences. More than £260 million will be spent in 2026/2027 managing, maintaining and repairing Environment Agency assets, including those damaged by Storms Goretti and Chandra, ensuring vital protections remain strong when communities need them most.

Looking beyond 2026/27, over the next ten years the new flood defence investment programme will benefit 840,000 properties and protect communities across the country from the devastating impacts of climate change. Backed by a record long-term investment of £7.9 billion capital, this will be the largest floods investment programme in history.

Through the delivery of natural flood management schemes, the new programme will also enhance our environment.

And by unlocking housebuilding, protecting businesses small and large, safeguarding innovation and increasing investor confidence, the new programme will drive economic growth.

The new programme includes several key changes and improvements from the previous one helping us get the most from every pound of investment.

Thanks to a new funding policy announced in October 2025, funding will be simpler to apply for and there will be a wider spread of flood resilience interventions, including more sustainable drainage and property flood resilience projects as well as more Natural Flood Management.

We have already stabilised the condition of our flood protection measures, arresting the decline seen during the previous 14 years. Recognising the growing pressure on existing assets, refurbishment of existing flood defences will be treated on an equal footing with new projects in the new programme, ensuring vital repairs that cannot be addressed through routine maintenance are eligible for the funding.

To bring in as much investment as possible, changes to the funding formula will also mean that securing funding from partners outside of Government makes a proposed new flood defence project more likely to secure Government funding. This change, alongside efficiencies gained through the increased use of technology such as drones, satellites and Artificial Intelligence, will help make every £1 of government investment in flood defences go even further.

Overall, this Government will invest more than £10.5 billion in flood defences by 2036, and this investment will see a remarkable return - for every £1 invested we expect to see around £8 of benefits.

This record investment into the biggest floods investment programme in history once again demonstrates that protecting communities around the country from flooding is a genuine priority for this Government. But this has been clear since the start.