2 Million Britons At Risk From Flooding, But No Spending Planned For Flood Protection After This Year
Spending on flood defences will fall off a cliff edge next year, a report warns, calling on the chancellor to commit at least £1.5bn a year in the spending review to protect the economy and the public.
Nearly 2 million people across the UK are exposed to flooding every year, which is equivalent to the combined populations of Birmingham, Sheffield and Newcastle upon Tyne. A third of England’s critical infrastructure – including roads, railways, energy networks and water systems – is also at risk, jeopardising national security.
The physical impact of flood events to property, buildings and transport infrastructure costs £2.4bn annually, economists say in the report by Public First.
But the knock-on impact continues for years to come. “Each year of flood events causes a decade-long downward pressure on the economy worth at least £6.1bn,” the report says.
Current spending on flood defences is £1.3bn, less than the £1.5bn recommended by the National Infrastructure Commission. The Labour government has no commitment beyond next year for flood defences and the affordability of future funding for flood defences has been under review by the Treasury since last year’s autumn statement.
EDIT
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/mar/20/flood-defences-spending-warning