Funding boost for flood protection
Environment Secretary Hilary Benn today announced that local communities across England will benefit from £16 million funding to help them tackle surface water flooding.
Surface water flooding happens when the ground, rivers and drains cannot absorb heavy rainfall.
£9.7 million has been awarded to 77 local authorities in areas where evidence shows that the risk and potential impact of surface water flooding could be highest. Local authorities in all other areas will also be able to bid for a share of £5 million to help them deal with known local flooding problems.
Details of how local authorities can bid for the £5million funding, and the criteria on which bids will be assessed, will be published in the next few weeks. Innovative proposals for tackling surface water flooding, especially in rural areas, will be particularly welcomed.
An additional £1 million will be spent on making training, data and other tools available to help all local authorities manage flood risk.
Mr Benn said: ‘Local authorities have a crucial role to play in tackling flooding and it’s vital that they have the information, resources and skills they need. That’s why we’ve provided this money and we want to make sure it gets to where it’s most needed and where it can make the biggest difference.’
The 2007 Pitt review highlighted the risks of surface water flooding and made a number of recommendations. These included giving local authorities new responsibilities for flood risk management and the development of surface water management plans. The Environment Agency has estimated that around two-thirds of the flooding in summer 2007 was caused by surface water.
Further information
Page last modified: 18 August 2009
Page published: 18 August 2009