Select Committee · Public Accounts Committee

Flood defences

Status: Closed Opened: 25 Oct 2023 Closed: 3 Apr 2024 5 recommendations 22 conclusions 1 report

Lives, livelihoods and wellbeing are put at risk by flooding and coastal erosion. According to the Environment Agency (EA), an estimated 5.2m homes and businesses in England are at risk of flooding, and around 700 properties are vulnerable to coastal erosion over the next twenty years. Government set the EA a target of better protecting …

Reports

1 report

Title	HC No.	Published	Items	Response
Seventh Report - Resilience to flooding	HC 71	17 Jan 2024	27	Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

4 items

6 Conclusion Seventh Report - Resilience to flooding Deferred

Write to Committee within 12 months on Flood Re closure implications and transition plan.

We are concerned that Flood Re is not providing the protection that was envisaged and that 2039 will likely be too soon to close down the Flood Re scheme given the increasing risk from flooding and slower progress on protecting properties. The Committee has concerns over the number of high-risk …

Government response. The government agreed but stated Flood Re intends to publish its next Quinquennial Review in July 2024, which the Secretary of State will then consider, effectively deferring the requested information to that process.

HM Treasury

8 Conclusion Seventh Report - Resilience to flooding Deferred

Environment Agency targets 98% of high consequence flood defence assets at required condition.

The Agency is responsible for maintaining existing flood defence assets that it owns. Its modelling showed that it is best value for money to have 98% of its high consequence assets at required condition. Timely maintenance is important because if an asset fails it is then more expensive to repair.10 …

Government response. The government agrees and states the Agency is working on evidence to identify the optimal balance of capital and maintenance funding, noting £25 million was moved to maintenance for 2023–24. They commit to continue this work and write to the …

HM Treasury

9 Conclusion Seventh Report - Resilience to flooding Deferred

Defra underfunded Environment Agency's flood defence maintenance, setting lower 94.5% asset condition target.

Maintaining assets at the required condition needs funding: in preparing for the 2021 Spending Review, the Agency estimated it needed funding of £235 million a year to keep 98% of its assets at their required condition. Defra decided not to fund the Agency to maintain assets to 98%, instead it …

HM Treasury

14 Conclusion Seventh Report - Resilience to flooding Deferred

Over half of Local Planning Authorities rarely inspect flood risk compliance due to resource scarcity.

In July 2021, Defra published a review of policy for development in areas at flood risk. This research found that over half of Local Planning Authorities said they rarely or never inspected a new development to check compliance with flood risk planning conditions. They described a lack of resource as …

Government response. The government agrees and states the recommendation is implemented, affirming that DLUHC is responsible for national planning policy, compliance, and enforcement, and that it is the role of Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) to take enforcement action. They note existing policies …

HM Treasury

Correspondence

1 letter

Date	Direction	Title
10 Jan 2024	—	Joint correspondence from Tamara Finkelstein CB, Permanent Secretary, Departmen…

Accepted	19
Acknowledged	4
Deferred	4