Martin Ford 11 March 2020

Budget 2020: Flood-hit areas to share £200m defence fund

Flood-hit areas will vie for £200m in funding to improve flood defences, the chancellor has announced in his Budget.

A £200m ‘place-based resilience programme’ has been announced that will go to 25 areas around the country, chosen based on criteria including ‘repeated significant flooding in the past’.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said that overall investment in flood defences in England will total £5.2bn over the next six years, doubling spending and reducing national flood risk by up to 11% by protecting 336,000 homes and non-residential properties.

The figure includes an ‘immediate’ injection of £120m to the Environment Agency to repair storm damage over the winter months.

Devolved administrations will also receive extra funding based on the Barnett formula.

Research fellow at the Institute for Public Policy Research, Jack Hunter, said: ‘Today's announcement on doubling investment in flood defences over the next six years to £5.2bn is welcome but much more is needed.

‘The funding announced today is still less than the £1bn a year that the Environment Agency says it needs.’

There were no announcements around reform of the Bellwin scheme to fund recovery, criticised as ‘limited and bureaucratic’ by the Local Government Association last month.

Small grant schemes of up to £5,000 for individual homes and businesses following November’s flooding also caused controversy after the Government limited funding to local authorities where more than 25 properties had been flooded.

SIGN UP
For your free daily news bulletin
Highways jobs

Director of People

Lancashire County Council
£108,697 - £117,998
As a leader at Lancashire County Council, you’ll join an authority with real scale, courageous ambition and deep pride in place. County hall
Recuriter: Lancashire County Council

Director of Strategy and Transformation

Lancashire County Council
£108,697 - £117,998
As a leader at Lancashire County Council, you’ll join an authority with real scale, courageous ambition and deep pride in place. Preston, Lancashire
Recuriter: Lancashire County Council

Care and Support Assistant -Longlands

West Northamptonshire Council
13.52ph
About the role We are looking for a dedicated Care and Support Worker to join our team at Longlands Care Home in Daventry. In this rewarding role, you will provide compassionate, person-centred care to older people and those living with dementia, includin Daventry
Recuriter: West Northamptonshire Council

Highway Design and Construction Manager

Bolton Council
Grade N, scp50 £62,443 to scp53 £65,663 per annum, plus essential car user allowance
We embrace AI to enhance our operations and to innovate our services. Bolton, Greater Manchester
Recuriter: Bolton Council

Social Worker - Huddersfield Royal Infirmary

Kirklees Metropolitan Council
£38,220 - £40,777
Looking to appoint as a Level 2 or Level 3 Social Worker. Kirklees, West Yorkshire
Recuriter: Kirklees Metropolitan Council
Linkedin Banner