Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 25
25
We also asked the Agency about the reasons for the wide variation in the level...
Conclusion
We also asked the Agency about the reasons for the wide variation in the level of flood defence investment per property at risk between regions. The Agency explained that the level of flood risk will determine where investment is made. It also said that the timing and size of flood defence schemes creates variation in investment levels. It acknowledged that it needs to understand more about regional investment patterns.28 Access to affordable insurance and property-level flood resilience
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Spring 2022 6.2 The government invests wherever flood risk is highest across the country, and where it will benefit the most people and property. This is reflected in the government’s Partnership Funding policy which allocates funding as grant in aid (GiA) for flood and coastal defence projects. This provides a fair and consistent basis for allocating GiA and securing wider contributions where others stand to benefit from a defence scheme. Households in the 20% most deprived parts of the country continue to qualify for funding at 2.25 times the rate than that available to non-deprived households. The government will monitor the performance of the FCERM flood defence investment programme, including regional investment, to ensure it continues to better protect and better prepare communities and properties across England. 6.3 Going forward, the department will be working with the Agency to report on properties better protected in deprived areas and investment by Office for National Statistics (ONS) region through its KPIs to track performance against our investment policy. These reports will be reviewed by a new governance board which will be in place to review and track progress across the next investment period. 6.4 More widely, the department has committed to strengthen reporting of progress towards its goals so that it is clearer and more accessible, and to consider how the existing arrangements can be improved, by Spring 2022. The department will consider how the changes in monitoring of investment across regions and deprived areas can be incorporated as part of this wider work. 6.5 Flood and coastal defence schemes can also have local economic benefits. The department is exploring as part of the Call for Evidence on Partnership funding policy, how the department can further support the resilience of lower performing local economies and small communities to flood and coastal erosion risks.