Inflation Cuts England's Flood Defence Plans by 40%

Over 200,000 Homes Face Increased Flooding Risk Amid Funding Shortfall

Plans to protect 336,000 homes from flooding in England have been cut by 40% to 200,000 homes, with inflation cited as the major reason.
The Environment Agency has removed 500 of the 2,000 new flood defence projects originally included in the government's six-year flood and coastal erosion programme.
203,000 properties that already have flood protection face an increased risk due to a £34m shortfall in the Environment Agency's maintenance funding for 2022-23.
The number of homes at risk from flooding has been revised upwards from 5.2 million to 5.7 million following a new reassessment by the agency.
The NAO warns that due to underspending in the first two years, an average of almost £1bn will need to be spent each year over the remaining four years to spend the full £5.2bn.