Responding to the National Audit Office’s (NAO) report on managing flood risk Cllr David Renard, LGA environment spokesperson, said,
“While the report confirms that government are on track to better protect 300,000 more homes from flooding by March 2021, it also highlights the lack of a comprehensive measure of its progress in the reduction of overall flood risk across England. We share the NAO’s concerns that funding does not always reach the areas that need it, due to centralised processes.”
“We urge Defra to act quickly on the NAO’s recommendation that they should to develop a clear understanding of whether flood risk management funding for local authorities is adequate to cover the level of flood risk individual authorities face and report on this each year starting from 2021/22.”
“Funding for flood defences needs to be devolved to local areas and sit within a new national framework for addressing the climate emergency we face. Councils are best-placed to lead a local approach to flood defence, using their local knowledge to ensure that money is directed towards projects that best reflect local needs, including protecting key roads and bridges to keep local residents and businesses moving.”
“Flooding can devastate communities, causing enormous disruption to families and businesses and resulting in huge clean-up bills. Councils need to be able to access funding for these purposes, more easily and more quickly, and government need to ensure the reduction of overall flood risk is comprehensively measured.”