HC 240 - Winter Floods 2013-14

Book excerpt: The Government must not neglect maintenance of flood defences and watercourses if homes, businesses and farmland are to gain better protection against future flooding risk, the EFRA Committee warns in this report of an inquiry triggered by the recent winter floods. The Committee calls for fully funded plans to address the current backlog of dredging and watercourse maintenance as well as to maintain the growing numbers of man-made flood defences. The devolution of maintenance activity to internal drainage boards and to local landowners, wherever possible, is supported. The Committee also urges the Government to address the confusion over maintenance responsibilities through a widespread education campaign. It is essential that Environment Agency funding cuts do not lead to unintended consequences where funding is redirected to one operational area to the detriment of another. The report also calls for a reassurance from Defra that frontline flood jobs at the Environment Agency will not be cut. The Committee identifies the current split between capital and revenue budgets as a major barrier to targeting funding according to local priorities, and can see no reason why the Government cannot move to a total expenditure approach for flood funding to allow more flexibility to spend in the most effective way.