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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much money has been allocated to flood defences in Yorkshire and the Humber for each year until 2025.

The Environment Agency (EA) is working in collaboration with partners to develop and deliver an ambitious, long-term capital programme to reduce flood risk across Yorkshire.

Within the current six-year investment period from 2015/16 – 2020/21, a total of £650 million is being invested across Yorkshire. This programme will better protect 67,000 properties from flooding and coastal erosion by the end of March 2021. In addition to conventionally engineered solutions, this programme includes a number of projects that utilise nature based solutions, providing carbon absorption and net gains alongside flood risk benefits. For example, there are three National Natural Flood Management (NFM) pilot projects in Calderdale, Leeds and Pickering.

Details of Government investment in flood defences after 2021 have not yet been announced. In addition to the above, up to £12.5 million is spent every year in Yorkshire maintaining existing flood defences. To help facilitate flood prevention short term and long term actions, the floods Minister Rebecca Pow MP is planning to meet South Yorkshire MPs in the near future in partnership with the EA and the Mayor of Sheffield City Region Combined Authority.