Source · Select Committees · Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Recommendation 5
5
Accepted
No Parliament can bind its successor and therefore front-loading the 12-year investment would better support...
Conclusion
No Parliament can bind its successor and therefore front-loading the 12-year investment would better support ambitious, multi-year projects and deliver early benefits. Current plans for the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund provide £165 million up to 2030–31, yet England’s first-year allocation is just £22.6 million, less than one-twelfth of the £304 million allocated to England over the lifetime of the fund. (Conclusion, Paragraph 14)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government acknowledges the committee's observation and states it has introduced some front-loading to the Fund's spending profile, ensuring funds are available for the full 12 years and commencing allocation in 2026-27.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
Reflecting stakeholder views, we have introduced some front-loading to spending under the scheme, while ensuring funding will be available for the full 12 years of the Fund. Furthermore, to ensure that benefits are realised as early as possible, the Government decided to begin allocating funding in 2026-27 through existing mechanisms, such as through the FaSS, which is administered by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). The overall spending profile for the Fund was announced by HM Treasury at the November Budget 2025, with details located here.
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