UK Government Lacks Clear Strategy as Flood Resilience Ambitions Falter, Says Public Accounts Committee
In a scathing report released today, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has raised serious concerns about the UK government's ability to enhance the country's resilience to flooding. The report highlights the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for lacking an overall numerical target for the nation's long-term flood resilience, casting doubt on the progress toward the 2020 ambition of creating "a nation more resilient to future flood and coastal erosion risk."
The Environment Agency (EA) projects a shortfall in flood protection for at least 40% fewer properties than initially planned, attributing this to factors such as inflation and bureaucratic hurdles in project approval. The Committee expresses concern that the number of properties better protected could be even fewer than the revised-down forecast of 200,000, given the uncertainties surrounding large projects with only medium or low confidence of completion by 2027.
In the fiscal year 2022-23, approximately 5.7 million properties in England were at risk of flooding.
The PAC's report reveals several troubling aspects of the government's approach to flood resilience:
Neglect of Smaller and Rural Communities
Communities with fewer than 100 houses, vulnerable to devastating flooding, are losing out due to a lack of flood protection provision.
Continued Development in High Flood Risk Areas
The report highlights the construction of new housing in high flood risk areas without adequate mitigations, with over half of Local Planning Authorities rarely or never inspecting new developments for compliance with flood risk planning conditions.
Insufficient Leadership and Support
The government is criticized for a lack of necessary leadership and support for local authorities in addressing the increasing risks of surface water flooding.
Due to funding constraints, the Environment Agency has failed to meet its target of maintaining 98% of its high consequence flood defenses at their required condition. The report underscores that 203,000 properties are now at increased risk due to deteriorating flood defenses, surpassing the 200,000 properties the government aims to better protect through its ongoing capital program by 2027. This discrepancy illustrates the undermining impact of poor maintenance on progress from new capital expenditure and Defra's failure to find the right balance between building new defenses and maintaining existing ones.
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown MP, Deputy Chair of the Committee, commented on the findings, stating, "With the reality of climate change and increasing rainfall, robust flood resilience must become an ever-increasing priority." He expressed concern about the contradictory and self-defeating approach to keeping citizens safe, calling on the government to define success and implement the recommendations outlined in the report.
