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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress he has made on long-term strategic maintenance plans for flood defences in Lincolnshire.

At the last spending review the government increased funding for maintenance of flood defences by £22 million per year. This results in an investment of £201 million for 2022/2023 and an allocation for 23-24 of over £220 million.

The EA has allocated £10.05m for the maintenance of flood defences in Lincolnshire for 2023/24. This funding covers routine maintenance such as the maintenance of water management control structures, riverbanks, and works to keep rivers flowing. The work is prioritised to the highest consequence watercourses first so that it benefits the most properties. The funding also covers intermittent works to repair failing flood defences and incident response activities when they arise.

Local Internal Drainage Boards and local authorities also have responsibilities for the management and maintenance of watercourses and their own flood risk assets.