Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to implement the flood defences along the River Severn set out by the Environment agency and River Severn Partnership as soon as possible.

The next six-year Flood and Coastal Risk Management Capital Investment Programme 2021/22–2027/28 is currently being put together by the Environment Agency in partnership with all other Flood Risk Management Authorities along the River Severn Catchment including Shropshire Council.

This six-year programme will be based on indicative bids put forward in previous years as well as new project bids and will use the updated Partnership Funding rules recently published on the GOV.UK website.

Some of those projects currently put forward to form the next six-year programme include the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme, Tenbury Wells, Oswestry Surface Water Scheme, Beales Corner Bewdley as well as a large-scale Carbon Offsetting and Natural Flood Risk Management Scheme which has the potential to benefit the whole of the River Severn.

Indicative proposals at this stage in the process suggest the new programme could deliver 3,000 homes better protected from flooding. Business cases will formalise the outcomes that these and other projects will deliver in due course.

In addition, the Government funding announcement on 14 July secured significant additional investment for the River Severn Partnership, providing £30 million for the Severn Valley, £4.9 million for Tenbury Wells and £5.4 million for carbon offsetting work linked to the Partnership.