Recommendation 8

Both public and private sector investment is critical in developing national resilience to extreme weather events and climate change. For example, many flood defence projects require funding from public and private sector sources in addition to government 6 Qq 1, 45 7 Qq 1, 2, 39, 43, 90, 124; C&AG’s Report, para 9 8 Qq 1, 2, 6, 9, 10, 43 9 Q 10 10 Q 34; C&AG’s Report, para 21 11 Prof Rowena Hill and Rich Pickford (GEX0008); Newcastle University (GEX0012); UK Corporate Leaders Group (GEX0013); National Fire Chiefs Council (GEX0016); Wildlife and Countryside Link (GEX0019) 12 Qq 29, 30, 31, 34; Correspondence from the Cabinet Office to the Public Accounts Committee, 28 February 2024 13 Q 35; C&AG’s Report, paras 1.18, 3.27 Government resilience: extreme weather 11 funding before they can go ahead.14 The Cabinet Office highlighted that there is plenty of evidence that it is often cheaper to invest in building resilience than it is to deal with the consequences of not investing. The Chancellor’s Autumn Statement announced a £10 million fund for analysis to underpin where money is best spent for resilience.15