Leading environmental organisation the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management is warning that the Autumn Statement is already forgetting the floods of last winter.

CIWEM said the temporary increase in funding for flood risk management after the winter floods of 2013/14 has not been sustained and that to continue on this funding trajectory will inevitably mean greater flood risk throughout the country.

“Whilst belt tightening is part and parcel of life at present, there are some areas that must be protected – investment in sustainable flood infrastructure is one such area,” said CIWEM Rivers & Coastal Treasurer, Jed Ramsay.

Even in the current economic climate, underinvestment in the UK’s flood infrastructure is unacceptable, according to CIWEM.  With climate change impacting the frequency and severity of flooding, CIWEM is concerned that this will become an increasingly pressing issue, weighing heavily on those that live and work in areas identified as being at risk of flooding.  This will be compounded by the reduction in spending on maintaining existing flood defences.

“Failure to maintain our existing flood defences and invest sustainably and sensibly in new flood risk schemes will lead to continued loss of life and property, extensive damage to the UK economy and ongoing misery for millions of people,” says Ramsay.

CIWEM said the Autumn Statement from the government does nothing to address the real and sustained levels of funding that will be required if the country is to meet the challenges of climate change and the major flooding we see on an almost annual basis. 

Investments in flood risk management provide some of the best returns, in terms of damages avoided, that can be found in public sector investment, according to the organisation.  Failure to invest adequately will cost the nation dearly in monetary and in socio-economic terms in addition to  increased risk to life.

Greater investment in river maintenance is needed

CIWEM believes that the current emphasis on capital investment to the detriment of annual maintenance works is increasing flood risk at a local level – referring to the recent National Audit Office report which stated that over the last five years maintenance funding has fallen by six per cent in real terms. 

Annual maintenance of rivers – such as maintaining existing crucial defences, weed and vegetation trimming and silt removal – are essential activities that have been cut to the bone through several decades of spending cuts. CIWEM commented:

“The continuation of this policy will result in ongoing degradation, which will then cost a great deal more to restore. Timely appropriate spending is not only better in maintaining appropriate levels of flood risk but also is environmentally better and cheaper in the long term.”

‘Partnership Funding’ is muddying the waters

CIWEM also flagged up its concerns over partnership funding issues – despite  having the “laudable aims” of increasing the level of contributions to flood defence schemes from those benefiting locally – especially those who are perceived as able to pay. 

According to CIWEM, the reality on the ground has been that the majority of partnership funding has been met by Local Councils at a time when their budgets are being dramatically reduced.

In CIWEM’s view the policy requires more work in order to leverage more private sector funds for schemes to ensure an appropriate balance between central government support for mitigating local flood risk and the direct beneficiaries of schemes who also contribute.