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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether flood defence funding is a priority for his Department in 2021.

The first quarter of 2021 will see the completion of the Government’s six-year, £2.6 billion capital investment programme to better protect 300,000 homes in England from flooding, which commenced in 2015.

Starting in April 2021, the Government will invest a record £5.2 billion in a new six-year capital investment programme. This programme will deliver around 2,000 flood schemes, across every region of England, and will better protect 336,000 properties from flooding. This new investment is the most comprehensive ever and is in addition to support to help households and business get back on their feet more quickly after flooding.

Alongside these key capital programmes, a further up to £170 million will be invested to accelerate work on shovel-ready flood defence schemes that will begin construction in 2020/21 or 2021/22. Twenty-two areas across England will benefit from this immediate boost to jobs supporting the local economy as communities recover from the impact of coronavirus. This includes an allocation of up to £30 million for the Severn Valley Flood Risk Management Scheme, which is conditional on a partnership contribution being secured prior to commencement of delivery.

In addition, a further £200 million will be provided for local innovative resilience projects which reduce flood risk, this Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme will run for six years from 2021. The funding will help twenty-five local areas to take forward wider innovative actions that improve their resilience to flooding and coastal erosion.