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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of installing new flood mitigations in Maulden, Bedfordshire.

The Environment Agency (EA) recognises the impact of the flooding that residents of Maulden experienced following the severe weather events of 2024. Following events such as these, the immediate focus moves to recovery; Risk Management Authorities in the area have been and continue to work hard to progress this work.

Central Bedfordshire Council are leading flood risk studies in Maulden and nearby in Clophill to identify potential options to reduce flood risk in the future. These studies are being funded by the local Regional Flood and Coastal Committee and are expected to complete this financial year.

Whilst this work progresses, the EA and Central Bedfordshire Council, alongside other partners have worked to implement additional maintenance works in Maulden aimed at improving local flood resilience and the EA has offered support to the local Flood Action Group.