Emma Hardy

We are taking that decisive action to halt the steady decline in the condition of flood defences under the previous Government by shifting an extra £108 million into the maintenance and repair of existing assets. We are also boosting the delivery of new defences by making available £140 million to 31 projects that are stalled because of funding gaps. In October, following consultation, we announced major changes to our flood and coastal erosion funding policy. Those reforms will make it quicker and easier to deliver the right flood and coastal defences in the right place by simplifying our funding rules. The new funding policy will improve the balance of funding between building new projects and maintaining existing defences, and will ensure that deprived communities continue to receive vital investment. We will use Government funding to unlock investment from public, private and charitable sources, making every £1 of Government investment go further. We will invest at least £300 million into natural flood management over 10 years—the highest figure to date for the floods programme, although I am always keen for it to go higher still. Those new funding rules will be brought in for the new floods programme, and will take effect in April 2026. I saw once again the crucial role that internal drainage boards play in flooding events. Our £91 million IDB fund supports greater flood resilience for farmers and rural communities. Ninety-four IDBs are delivering projects that are already benefiting over 400,000 hectares of farmland and over 200,000 properties. The Environment Agency estimates that the fund will avoid around £10 billion in economic damage.