Overview
- The Flood and Drought Resilience Taskforce will meet for the first time on Wednesday 14 October 2026 and will bring ministers together with more than 50 organisations including the Met Office, Environment Agency, water companies, emergency services, farmers and insurers.
- The government has unveiled Flood Action Online and launched Flood Action Week to give households a single hub for warnings, property-level advice and steps to prepare flood plans.
- The Met Office has warned of a heightened potential for wetter, windier, stormy conditions this autumn and winter driven by a strong El Niño signal, prompting urgent seasonal preparedness.
- The Environment Agency says about 6.3 million homes and businesses in England face some flood risk and is urging people to sign up for free alerts and make simple plans to reduce harm.
- Ministers restated major funding and targets: at least £10.5 billion for the 2024–2036 English flood‑defence programme plus £4.2 billion to March 2029 aimed at improving protection for 200,000 properties while operational agencies retain front-line delivery roles.