Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 23
23
Accepted
Defra failed to identify areas struggling to secure local flood defence partnership funding
Recommendation
Some parts of the country may have lost out on funding from the programme because they were less able to secure partnership funding.49 In February 2021, we recommended Defra and the Agency should identify areas where there is likely to be a shortfall in local authority resources and private sector contributions.50 Defra undertook to do this by July 2021, but has still not done so.51 Defra is using some of the capital programme funding to mitigate the risk that flood schemes do not progress due to difficulties in securing partnership funding.52 Defra told us partnership funding has an important role to play in building flood defence assets despite it being hard work to get money out of the private sector at times.53 44 Q 20 45 Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Rural proofing, November 2022 ) 46 Qq 4–5,20 47 Q 20 48 Q 22; C&AG’s Report, para 7 49 C&AG’s Report, para 2.9 50 Committee of Public Accounts: Managing food risk. 45th report of Session 2019–21, HC 931, February 2021, para 2 51 C&AG’s Report, para 1.6 52 C&AG’s Report, para 2.10 53 Q 22 Resilience to fooding 15 Flood Re
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and states the department has completed an assessment of local flood and coastal risk and local authority spend, which has been shared with the Committee and will be published shortly, directly addressing the recommendation to identify areas of funding shortfall.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
5.10 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: March 2024 5.11 The department has completed an assessment of local flood and coastal risk and local authority spend which has been shared with the Committee and will be published shortly. 5.12 In the current capital programme (2021-2027) around £347 million of partnership funding has been secured so far – including approximately £128 million in private sector contributions. This more than doubles the £55 million in private sector contributions secured across the whole of the previous six-year programme (2015 to 2021). The government continues to consider measures it can take to mitigate the impact of inflation and other challenges on project delivery in the current programme, including private sector contributions and local authority resources. The actions that the Agency are already taking referenced in response to recommendations 2b and 4b will support local authorities and other risk management authorities to better deliver flood schemes in this flood investment programme. 5.13 In addition to the partnership funding secured, communities suffering repeated flooding can benefit from the £100 million Frequently Flooded Allowance, designed to help schemes that already qualify for Defra’s Flood Defence Grant in Aid funding under the current capital programme, and meet the department’s eligibility criteria of better protecting a frequently flooded community, but have not been able to secure the funding necessary to progress their scheme. The government has already provided over £900 million of the total Partnership Funding requirement for this programme. 5.14 Partnership funding figures are published annually in the Agency’s annual flood and coastal erosion risk management reports, this will enable the department to continue monitoring private sector contributions moving forwards.