Taskforce launched to deliver flood defences

A new Floods Resilience Taskforce to boost the development of flood defences and bolster the nation’s resilience to extreme weather has convened for the first time.

The Taskforce brings together the secretary of state and floods minister Emma Hardy with representatives from Defra, MHCLG, Home Office, Cabinet Office, the Environment Agency, the Met Office, Local Resilience Forums, Mayoral Offices, emergency responders and the National Farmers Union, among others.

The expert group discussed how they will speed up and co-ordinate flooding preparation and resilience between central government, local authorities and community responders, and emergency services.

The group will also use their collective experience and knowledge to identify and protect vulnerable areas, including championing the delivery of drainage systems, flood defences and natural flood management schemes in communities.

This comes as the current Met Office outlook suggests autumn is likely to be wetter than usual.

The Taskforce also outlined its plans to take a long-term, strategic approach to the challenges of flooding. This will support better protection for families across the country, as well as underpinning the resilience of the economy to the growing threat of climate change. 

These challenges include ensuring that funding for national infrastructure remains sustainable into the future.

Secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs Steve Reed said: "Flooding devastates communities and businesses across the country. For far too long the delivery of flood schemes has been too slow and left communities underwater.

"That is why the new government is acting now to speed up the building of flood defences and bolster our emergency response."

The Environment Agency is the government’s primary delivery partner for flood defences and continues to support the construction of hundreds of projects across the country.

Teams have been prioritising the construction, maintenance, and repair of key flood defences – including the Cockett Wick seawall in Essex, which will ensure 3,000 homes and businesses are protected better.

Caroline Douglass, Executive Director for Flood and Coastal Risk Management at the Environment Agency, said: "Protecting people and communities is our top priority, which will only become more pressing as climate change brings more extreme weather and rising sea levels."