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The Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) has revealed its capital works budget for flood defences ahead of publication of the wide infrastructure pipeline this week.

Defra rather Trumpishly proclaimed it to be “the largest flood defence investment programme in history” although environment secretary Steve Reed later clarified that this only referred to England’s history.

The £7.9bn committed over ten years to protect buildings and infrastructure from the threat of flooding equates to £790m a year. This is for capital works only, not day-to-day operational and maintenance (resource) spending.

In February the government committed to spending £2.65bn on flood defences for the two years April 2024 to March 2026 but that included both capital and resource spending.

Over the following three years, to March 2029, that number goes up to £4.2bn has been allocated to flood defences.

Environment Secretary Steve Reed said: “Protecting citizens is the first duty of any government. Yet we inherited crumbling flood defences in their worst condition on record – exposing thousands of homes. Under the Plan for Change, this government is taking urgent action with the largest flooding programme in our country’s history. We will leave no stone unturned to protect our citizens.”

Environment Agency chief executive Philip Duffy said: “As our changing climate continues to bring more extreme weather to the nation, it’s never been more vital to invest in new flood defences and repair our existing assets.

“This long-term investment will be welcome news for businesses and homeowners, who have too often faced the destructive nature of flooding. Our priority will continue to be working with the government and local authorities to ensure as many properties are protected as possible.”

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