The National Flood Forum has written to the Secretary of State for Environment, calling for the Defra budget for investment and maintenance in flood defences to be prioritised as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.  

The letter highlights that every pound invested in flood defences saves several times this in avoided damage, emergency response, and long-term disruption. The importance of long-term investment in flood defences is something that the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum advocated for as part of its recent Bricks and Water inquiry.  In particular, the inquiry identified the pressure that existing flood defences are under due to climate change and called for changes to allow the Environment Agency to move unspent funds from its capital programme to its maintenance budget.

Policy Connect has co-signed this letter to the Rt Hon Steve Reed MP, alongside the Association of British Insurers, the British Insurers Brokers Association, the Town and Country Planning Association, the Association of Drainage Authorities, Emma Howard Boyd CBE, Dr Paul O’Hare, Paul Cobbing MBE, and Mary Long-Dhonau OBE.

You can download the letter by clicking the link on the right-hand side of this page.