£10.5 billion for flood defences

The government has committed £10.5 billion for flood defences to protect nearly 900,000 properties.

New reforms have been announced that mean deprived communities will benefit from new flood defences and defences will be built more quickly.

Rules on allocating flood defence funding haven't been updated since 2011.

The new rules will be used for the next flood programme starting in April 2026. 

The reforms will ensure that all prioritised flood projects valued at £3 million or less are eligible for full funding by the government. Prioritised projects valued higher than this will be eligible for the first £3 million of support upfront, and 90% of the costs thereafter.  

Furthermore, at least 20 per cent of future investment will also be set aside to help protect the most deprived communities in England over the next ten years.

Floods Minister Emma Hardy said: "For too long, deprived towns and cities struggled to secure the vital money needed for flood defences due to a complicated and outdated process.   

"Our reforms will rip this up and help communities get back on their feet after floods – by unlocking economic growth, building new homes and creating new jobs.  

"This government will be investing a record £10.5 billion into new flood defences and repairing existing assets to protect more people from the devastation of flooding."

Caroline Douglass, executive director of flood and coastal risk management at the Environment Agency, said: "Our changing climate means it has never been more important to ensure communities are better protected from the devastating impacts of flooding.   

"We welcome the government’s new approach to flood and coastal erosion investment, enabling a wider range of projects such as natural flood management and property flood resilience to be supported. Together with our partners, we will work to deliver these ambitions on the ground."