Ministers firm on flood funds

10 Jul 08
The government has refused to review the £800m allocated for flood prevention in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review, despite MPs warning that the sum 'looks inadequate' to cope with the risks.

11 July 2008

The government has refused to review the £800m allocated for flood prevention in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review, despite MPs warning that the sum 'looks inadequate' to cope with the risks.

In a May report, the Commons environment, food and rural affairs select committee urged ministers to 'reappraise the adequacy' of the funding settlement to take into account the needs of local authorities and the Environment Agency, and the recommendations of the Pitt Review of last summer's floods.

But the government's formal response, published on July 8, says: 'Whilst the Pitt Review has identified a number of pressures, the government does not intend to reopen the CSR07 settlement. Investment in flood and coastal management must be sustainable and based on sound evidence.'

The government also stopped short of meeting the MPs' calls to explain how it intends to fund the Pitt Review recommendations should the cost exceed the £34.5m set aside by ministers. Instead, the response says only that the government will 'review how this sum will be allocated in the light of the final Pitt Report, including any early opportunity to begin making a difference in priority areas'.

But costings published alongside the Pitt Review suggest that implementation will require further funding.

Although the cost implications are described largely in general terms, it warns that the sum needed to meet a major recommendation – increasing councils' technical capacity and staffing for flood prevention – 'could rise to £250,000 per upper tier local authority'.

Across the 250 top-tier councils, the bill for this recommendation alone would hit £37.5m.

The government response adds: 'Lead government departments will need to consider all of the recommendations, including their affordability and the need to ensure that the net additional cost to local authorities is fully and properly funded.'

 

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