Stuart Anderson MP has urged Ministers to improve support for flood-hit communities, as new data shows 6.3 million properties in England are now at risk of flooding. In a letter to the Environment Secretary, he has called for more tailored support for frequently flooded communities.
Ministers have announced plans to invest £2.65 billion to better protect 66,500 properties from flooding over the next two years. However, Stuart has said more "action on the ground" is needed in South Shropshire.
Under the new plans, 52,000 properties across the country will benefit from new defences. A further 14,500 properties will receive defence maintenance work.
However, data released by the Environment Agency in December shows that a much higher figure of 6.3 million properties in England are at risk. This could increase to around 8 million (or one in four) properties by the middle of the century.
Stuart has said that he wants to ensure flood-hit residents across South Shropshire benefits from the new government funding, following the wettest January in fifteen years. This winter alone, the UK experienced five storms in just five months.
Stuart has called for a further announcement to be made as soon as possible - with a full list of places to receive funds. With the amount of money to be invested in 2026-27 and beyond to be decided at this year's Spending Review, Stuart has called for any reductions in support to be ruled out.
Ministers have also accepted Stuart's request to review the Flooding Recovery Framework, which allocates funds for flood support schemes. Concerns had been raised with him that the funding allocation process is not fit for purpose and requires a complete overhaul.
This is because support is only activated when the number of properties impacted by flooding reaches fifty. It means that many isolated and smaller rural communities have been losing out since there are fewer properties in these areas.
Stuart has now urged Ministers to increase the generosity of Property Flood Resilience (PFR) Repair Grant, under which property owners can apply for up to £5,000 to help make their homes and businesses more resilient to future flooding.
The level of support that can be claimed under this Scheme has not been increased since 2013 and is not activated for all flood events. Councils are not reimbursed for administering the Scheme and property owners are not able to claim survey costs until after installation.
In a statement, the Environment Secretary stated:
“A consultation will be launched in the coming months, which will include a review of the existing funding formula, to ensure that the challenges facing businesses and rural and coastal communities are adequately considered when delivering flood protection.”
Stuart Anderson MP said:
"This winter’s flash flooding has resulted in significant costs for residents across South Shropshire. So, plans to invest £2.65 billion to better protect 66,500 properties are welcome. However, I am aware that the new National Flood Risk Assessment (NaFRA) shows as many as 6.3 million properties in England are in areas at risk of flooding and that this could increase to around 8 million properties by mid-century. So, I have called for a further announcement to be made as soon as possible – with a full list of places to receive funding. The Government must also rule out any reduction to funding in 2026-27 and beyond. I am glad that Ministers have also agreed to review the Flood Recovery Framework, after I had warned that it cuts off support for flood properties in smaller rural communities where the threshold for activation at fifty properties is not met. I remain clear that more action is needed on the ground in South Shropshire to offer tailored support to frequently flooded communities."
