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| Winter floods could batter England again if cuts not reversed, MPs warn | Winter floods could batter England again if cuts not reversed, MPs warn |
| (about 11 hours later) | |
| The devastating floods of last winter could hit England again unless government funding cuts to flood defence budgets are reversed, MPs warned environment secretary, Owen Paterson, on Tuesday. | The devastating floods of last winter could hit England again unless government funding cuts to flood defence budgets are reversed, MPs warned environment secretary, Owen Paterson, on Tuesday. |
| “Overall funding does not reflect the increased flood risk” being driven by climate change, the MPs' report found, while money for the maintenance of rivers and flood defences was at the “bare minimum”. The coalition imposed a 25% cut on flood defence spending on entering office in 2010. | “Overall funding does not reflect the increased flood risk” being driven by climate change, the MPs' report found, while money for the maintenance of rivers and flood defences was at the “bare minimum”. The coalition imposed a 25% cut on flood defence spending on entering office in 2010. |
| MPs praised the government's “money is no object” relief efforts led by David Cameron, but said cost-cutting on defences was a false economy, leading to the misery of flooding and millions being spent on emergency action, rather than investment in flood prevention. The Environment Agency (EA) estimates every £1 invested in flood defences saves £8 in future damage. | MPs praised the government's “money is no object” relief efforts led by David Cameron, but said cost-cutting on defences was a false economy, leading to the misery of flooding and millions being spent on emergency action, rather than investment in flood prevention. The Environment Agency (EA) estimates every £1 invested in flood defences saves £8 in future damage. |
| “Ministers must take action now to avoid a repeat of the devastation caused by the winter floods,” said Anne McIntosh, Conservative MP and chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) select committee that produced the report. | “Ministers must take action now to avoid a repeat of the devastation caused by the winter floods,” said Anne McIntosh, Conservative MP and chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Efra) select committee that produced the report. |
| “It is essential we get the funding in place. We have repeatedly called on the government to increase revenue funding so that necessary dredging and watercourse maintenance can be carried out to minimise flood risk, yet funding for maintenance remains at a bare minimum.” | “It is essential we get the funding in place. We have repeatedly called on the government to increase revenue funding so that necessary dredging and watercourse maintenance can be carried out to minimise flood risk, yet funding for maintenance remains at a bare minimum.” |
| The Efra report also found that earlier dredging could have cut the duration of the Somerset Levels floods, though not the depth of the waters or the area of land submerged. The issue of dredging was highly controversial, with local people blaming the lack of river maintenance for the Somerset floods. | The Efra report also found that earlier dredging could have cut the duration of the Somerset Levels floods, though not the depth of the waters or the area of land submerged. The issue of dredging was highly controversial, with local people blaming the lack of river maintenance for the Somerset floods. |
| But McIntosh said dredging was not an “all-purpose” solution. “You have to be realistic about the scale of the floods: the Somerset Levels was always going to flood.” | But McIntosh said dredging was not an “all-purpose” solution. “You have to be realistic about the scale of the floods: the Somerset Levels was always going to flood.” |
| Ministers were also criticised by the MPs for policies that “sacrificed [farmland] in favour of urban, highly populated areas.” | Ministers were also criticised by the MPs for policies that “sacrificed [farmland] in favour of urban, highly populated areas.” |
| But the EA, led by Lord Chris Smith and heavily attacked during the flooding, largely escaped criticism from the MPs. “The EA does what its political masters tell it to,” said McIntosh. The Efra committee welcomed EA moves to ease the rules governing how landowners fulfil their legal duties in maintaining the rivers flowing over their land. | But the EA, led by Lord Chris Smith and heavily attacked during the flooding, largely escaped criticism from the MPs. “The EA does what its political masters tell it to,” said McIntosh. The Efra committee welcomed EA moves to ease the rules governing how landowners fulfil their legal duties in maintaining the rivers flowing over their land. |
| Over 7,000 homes were flooded during the stormy winter, following extreme surges on the coasts and the wettest winter for at least 250 years. However, about 1.3m homes were protected by flood defences. The government's own advisers, the Committee on Climate Change, said at least £500m more needed to be spent on flood defences, simply to keep up with the rising risks caused by global warming. | Over 7,000 homes were flooded during the stormy winter, following extreme surges on the coasts and the wettest winter for at least 250 years. However, about 1.3m homes were protected by flood defences. The government's own advisers, the Committee on Climate Change, said at least £500m more needed to be spent on flood defences, simply to keep up with the rising risks caused by global warming. |
| The shadow environment secretary, Maria Eagle, noted the MPs' finding that emergency funding described by ministers as “additional” had in fact been re-allocated from other environment department budgets. | |
| “David Cameron’s ‘money is no object' promise has predictably proved totally false. The government failed to prepare for the floods, they don’t take the threat of climate change seriously and they don’t have a coherent strategy to deal with the problem in the future," she said. | “David Cameron’s ‘money is no object' promise has predictably proved totally false. The government failed to prepare for the floods, they don’t take the threat of climate change seriously and they don’t have a coherent strategy to deal with the problem in the future," she said. |
| Alastair Chisholm, policy manager, at the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, welcomed the MPs' recognition that flood defence spending is insufficient. But he criticised the MPs' report for recommending greater protection of farmland: “Unless funding grows hugely there will always be a case for prioritisation, to allocate it where it can protect most lives and property.” | |
| He also criticised the MPs' greater emphasis on dredging to speed up flood water flow, which can increase flooding downstream, rather than a new, more natural approach, which aims to slow water down upstream. | |
| Currently, five million people in England live with significant flood risk. Friends of the Earth climate campaigner Guy Shrubsole said: "The government's own figures show that climate change could put a million more people at significant flood risk by the 2020s, but Owen Paterson is trying to shirk responsibility for this and seems to have used more energy in spinning the flood defence budget figures.” | Currently, five million people in England live with significant flood risk. Friends of the Earth climate campaigner Guy Shrubsole said: "The government's own figures show that climate change could put a million more people at significant flood risk by the 2020s, but Owen Paterson is trying to shirk responsibility for this and seems to have used more energy in spinning the flood defence budget figures.” |
| The MPs' recommendations were all good, said Paul Cobbing, chief executive of the National Flood Forum, that represents hundreds of community groups, but failed to get to the heart of the issue. “Flood risk management should be seen as a national priority, not just something for Defra and its agencies to deal with,” he said. “All government departments should be mandated to actively reduce flood risk. There is no room to be complacent: flooding wrecks lives.” | |
| McIntosh told the Guardian her committee's overall conclusion was that there needed to be a balance between engineered flood defences, more natural flood defences and maintenance. “But to be honest, it is a bit like the health service: you will never have enough funding,” she said. | McIntosh told the Guardian her committee's overall conclusion was that there needed to be a balance between engineered flood defences, more natural flood defences and maintenance. “But to be honest, it is a bit like the health service: you will never have enough funding,” she said. |
| The floods minister Dan Rogerson said the government is trying to help people get back on their feet after the floods. “We | |
| are spending £3.2bn over the course of this parliament on flood | are spending £3.2bn over the course of this parliament on flood |
| management and protection from coastal erosion. That is more than ever | management and protection from coastal erosion. That is more than ever |
| before. | before. |
| “We are tackling flooding on three levels: an unprecedented six year | “We are tackling flooding on three levels: an unprecedented six year |
| commitment to record levels of investment right up until 2021, giving | commitment to record levels of investment right up until 2021, giving |
| local communities and internal drainage boards as much power as possible | local communities and internal drainage boards as much power as possible |
| to decide how flood risk is managed in their area and unlocking an increase in partnership funding to help more flood defence schemes go ahead.” | to decide how flood risk is managed in their area and unlocking an increase in partnership funding to help more flood defence schemes go ahead.” |
| • This article was amended on 17 June 2014 to remove a reference, introduced during the editing process, to Owen Paterson not being available for comment. He was not approached to comment on this article. |