A Climate Emergency: Flood Defences for the Future A Climate Emergency: Flood Defences for the Future
Pressure on the government is Contents mounting, we need to find a more resilient and cost-effective way to Executive summary 4 mitigate the impact of flooding. Our recommendations 6 Types of flooding 8
How we fund flood protection 9 schemes in England
Funding for England 10
Regional contributions 12 to flood and coastal erosion risk management
Spotlight on 14 Coastal Partnership East
Spotlight on Lowestoft 16
Case studies 18
Definitions 25
Methodology 26
About Scape 27
2 Photo: Christopher Elwell, Shutterstock 3 A Climate Emergency: Flood Defences for the Future
Executive summary Mark Robinson, Scape Group chief executive 5% 30 years Latest data from the UN’s Disaster Risk Reduction Office suggests at least 250 million people are now affected by flooding around the world1. The UK has seen an increase in flooding, Winters in the UK, for the decade In 30 years, England will with at least one major incident every year for the last nine years. The recent devastation 2009-2018, have been on average experience annual heatwaves caused by Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis brings home to many communities the very real 5% wetter than 1981-2010 and like the summer of 20186. impact of climate change on our day to day lives. Pressure on the government is mounting, 12% wetter than 1961-19904. we need to find a more resilient and cost-effective way to mitigate the impact of flooding.
The Environment Agency is working to highlight the Every £1 we invest in flood protection schemes saves significant risk that flooding creates for the UK’s us £5 in property damages3. Given the clear monetary infrastructure and communities. In the 21st century, an benefit of upfront investment in flood protection, we need increasing number of homes will be on land with high to be proactively funding more projects. However, the flood risk, caused by a more permissive planning system solution is not just to secure additional funding. After that allows more developments to be built on flood plains, years of budget cuts and austerity, government funding together with the rapid erosion of our coastlines and more for local authorities has become increasingly limited. 10 warmest 47% extreme rainfall events. In less than 50 years, the number The public sector is no stranger to the challenges of of homes under threat in England is forecast to double to competing pressures on the limited resources we have at five million2. our disposal. We need to think critically about how we work The 10 warmest years in the 140- Our summers are forecast Although the government has acknowledged the escalating together more effectively; harnessing the knowledge of our year record have all occurred since to become even drier, with crisis, our analysis demonstrates that there has been a industry experts and collaborating to operate across local limited real terms increase in funding, over the last decade. authority boundaries to deliver essential infrastructure. 2005, with the six warmest years average rainfall expected to 5 It reveals that whilst historically, expenditure has increased The recommendations put forward in this report aim to being the six most recent . decrease by up to 47% over in real terms from £802m in 2009/10 to £870m in 2018/19, provide workable solutions to more efficiently enhance the next 50 years8. there has been limited growth in the revenue expenditure flood defences; protecting more homes, businesses that enables our existing infrastructure to be maintained. and communities, despite the funding challenges. It is especially concerning to see that revenue expenditure We need to be operating more creatively and innovatively, has barely risen over the last ten years, with real term whilst taking inspiration from the flood defence growth of just £3 million. Much of our water infrastructure strategies other countries implement. Our ability to is from the Victorian era, more than a hundred years old work collaboratively will be vital to delivering projects and desperately needs to be maintained and upgraded. rapidly and effectively. Shared resources are invaluable, and we need to work across administrative boundaries with our neighbours to address this national issue. 35%
Our winters are forecast to become even wetter, with Every £1 we invest in flood protection schemes 35% more precipitation saves us £5 in property damages3 expected by 20707.
4 UK Climate Projections: Headline Findings, Met Office, September 2019 5 Scientific Consensus: Earth’s Climate is Warming, NASA 1 2013 floods a “turning point”, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, 2013 6 Extreme weather and global warming: Here’s what the UK can expect if emissions keep increasing, The Independent, 13th March 2019 2 Long Term Investment Scenarios, Environment Agency, 2019 7 Ibid 4 3 Long Term Investment Scenarios, Environment Agency, 2019 8 Ibid 5 A Climate Emergency: Flood Defences for the Future
Our Recommendations Dean Banks Chief Executive Officer, Balfour Beatty, UK Construction Services
“Recent years have seen increasingly frequent and devastating floods across the country. The construction and We have put together a infrastructure industry mitigate A 45%* increase in Flood and Coastal Erosion A holistic view of flooding types flood risk by building defences series of recommendations Risk Management Funding for England to drive cohesive and robust flood and implementing resilience for the construction industry, protection strategies measures. And when extreme The financial benefit of upfront investment in flood policymakers and local defences is undeniable. Combined with the physical and The three types of flooding we have highlighted within weather hits, we are a critical government to help implement mental devastation extreme weather causes for people in this report are regularly viewed, and dealt with, in part of the response: getting the affected communities, this provides a strong argument for isolation. We urgently need to take a more holistic roads, buildings, bridges and other more efficient and effective increasing funding for the Environment Agency by 45% over approach to assessing the impact of climate change, affected infrastructure back to ways of addressing the the next six years. In addition, budgets for local authorities with all parties including Lead Local Flood Authorities work to ensure that communities should be ring-fenced so that vital flood defence work is (LLFAs), water companies and the Environment impact climate change is undertaken, not only in terms of new infrastructure, but Agency working in collaboration. The approach being can recover as quickly as possible. having on our inland and improving the quality of existing assets. Although local advocated by Coastal Partnership East of working “But there is more to do. Engaging authorities are under significant pressure to deliver services with partners to create cohesive and robust flood risk coastal flood defences. with constrained budgets, climate change is one of the strategies that counter the impact of our changing the construction and infrastructure biggest threats facing the country and it needs to be a climate should be replicated, not only on the coast, but industry earlier and proactively priority for both central and local government. across inland flood protection authorities as well. before flooding happens can help reduce the risk and make the clean-up run more smoothly. We also need more partnership working between local authorities, and a more 1 3 strategic, longer-term funding approach for flood and coastal risk management. The price of Increased collaboration Adopt innovative approaches that utilise flooding to local communities – between local authorities natural flood protection methods and to the wider economy – far The partnership model, which is being used effectively As the impact of climate change becomes increasingly outstrips the cost of building in parts of England, should be further developed and evident, we need to be responding with more innovative and maintaining effective flood implemented across the country. Local authorities approaches and solutions, sharing best practice and defences and resilience measures.” combining resources and working collaboratively to taking a lessons-learned approach from the flood deliver flood protection schemes and coastal erosion protection strategies implemented in other countries. projects provides clear, tangible efficiencies, such as The reality is that storm surges and flash flooding those being delivered by Coastal Partnership East. are only going to increase, and we need to learn to Councils in the same area face similar challenges. live with the water, rather than fighting against it. Working in partnership gives them the ability to mobilise a well-resourced team, harnessing the relevant skills and expertise to plan and efficiently deliver projects that are urgently needed.2 4
*The recommended 45% increase in funding was calculated based on the government’s commitment to increase funding to £4bn over the next six years, but there being an urgent requirement to increase annual funding for flooding 6 to over £1bn plus inflation annually. 7 A Climate Emergency: Flood Defences for the Future
Types of flooding How we fund flood protection schemes in England
Three forms of flooding have been investigated in detail by Funding for flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM) comes from a variety of sources, including central the Environment Agency to build up the risk profile across and local government. Central government funding is the country for the government. provided via the Environment Agency in the form of Flood Defence Grant in Aid (FDGiA) from the These three types – coastal, river and surface water – have been included in the national Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs risk register to help the government identify, assess, prepare for and deal with emergencies (DEFRA) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and associated with flooding and severe storms9. Each type of flooding has been individually Local Government (MHCLG). assessed and scored, based on the likelihood of occurring and the expected severity. Additional funding sources are also raised by the Other forms of flooding do occur in England, such as groundwater and sewer flooding, Environment Agency through their levy on local authorities, but these have not been included in the Environment Agency’s risk register. partnership funding, drainage boards and direct funding Department from local authorities. DEFRA retains funding for ad-hoc programmes and provides resources to LLFAs. From for Environment 2013/14, a proportion of funding from DEFRA for LLFAs Food & Rural Affairs was transferred over to MHCLG. Since 2016, all funding for LLFAs has come from the MHCLG. The Environment Agency splits its funding streams into capital and revenue. Capital refers to funding used for implementing new and improved schemes, whilst revenue is used to maintain our existing assets and infrastructure. Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
LLFAs – (Lead Local Flood Authorities) LLFAs were created under The Flood and Water Management Act 2010, which requires county River flooding: Surface water flooding: Coastal flooding: councils and unitary authorities to manage local River flooding occurs when Surface water floods are created Coastal floods are a result of flood risks by working collaboratively across the the water level in a river, lake by extreme rainfall or overflow storm surges and high tides, Risk Management Authorities in their area. or stream rises and overflows, from a drainage system. which force water up over affecting the surrounding land. coastal barriers and submerge low-lying land along the coast.
8 9National Risk Register of Civil Emergencies, Cabinet Office, 2017 Photo: PhilMacDPhoto, Shutterstock 9 Revenue expenditure by the Environment Agency on Funding in England flood and coastal erosion risk management 2009/10 to 2018/19 m m