The Government has announced that a new Flood and Drought Resilience Taskforce will be launched this week, to champion community voices and strengthen the nation’s ability to plan for and respond to extreme weather.
This year alone, the nation has experienced the effects of the changing climate, with a wet winter followed by a long, hot summer bringing our third drought in five years and the driest July in almost two centuries, while a more intense and wetter winter is now anticipated.
The largest flood defence programme in English history is being delivered by the government, with at least £10.5 billion committed between 2024 and 2036 to protect homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure from the growing threat of flooding.
Meeting for the first time this Wednesday (14 October 2026), the new Taskforce will bring Floods and Drought Minister Emma Hardy together with representatives from more than 50 organisations, including the Environment Agency, Met Office, Mayoral authorities, the Fire and Rescue Services, and the farming, water and insurance industry.
The group will share expertise, from understanding risks and assessing preparedness to supporting a longer-term resilience strategy for floods and drought, helping to protect communities and the economy.
The voices of communities affected by both issues will be central to the new taskforce, through direct engagement and the inclusion of more community-based groups, so their lived experiences and insights inform future policy development.
In this week’s meeting, the agenda will focus on assessing the nation’s preparedness for potential flooding this winter, which shows the nation is better prepared compared to last year, and how members have improved their response. It will also discuss emerging learnings from the ongoing drought, and if improvements could be made to aid the nation’s resilience to both flooding and drought.
Floods and Drought Minister Emma Hardy said:
“We’re facing extreme weather, with flood and drought intertwined, but the government is taking decisive action.
“We’re taking a smarter, more joined-up approach to manage the nation’s water and set up our new Flood and Drought Resilience Taskforce. This will put communities and businesses at the heart of our work and will make sure the UK is ready for whatever the weather brings next.”
The Flood and Drought Resilience Taskforce will complement the work of the National Drought Group, which will continue to play its key role in coordinating and overseeing the operational response to drought.
The new Taskforce will maintain strong links between the two, with the National Drought Group’s expertise and insights helping to inform its work on strategic resilience and preparedness.
In 2026/27, £1.4 billion is being spent on building and repairing flood defences, with every £1 invested in flood defences preventing around £8 in economic damage.
WaterBriefing is supporting the upcoming Floodex & National Drainage Show which takes place in London on 25– 26 November 2026 in London. Now in its eleventh year, Floodex will run alongside the National Civils Show. Between them the events are set to welcome thousands of civil engineers, contractors, developers and planners, involved in construction, utilities, highways, railway and coastal defence professionals.
Click here for more information and to register for your free ticket to attend Floodex/National Drainage Show/Waterways Management
Click here to register for your free ticket to attend the National Civils Show
Enpure Ltd and Clean TeQ Water Ltd have announced a collaboration agreement to bring Clean TeQ Water's Moving Bed Ion Exchange-based nutrient removal technologies to water utilities across the UK.
Near-real-time microbial monitoring of wastewater discharge and bathing waters is now possible thanks to the BactoSense ID solution created by Swiss-based bNovate Technologies.
ABB has launched AquaMaster+™, a digital platform for smart water network management, designed to help water utilities monitor, analyze and manage their water networks, preventing pipeline water losses and optimizing operations.
Craig Nienaber, Business Development Manager for Safe Access Solutions (SAS) at HUBER Technology, explores why the company is seeing a growing level of interest in its safe access solutions for critical infrastructure providers, including their application in wastewater treatment assets.
Southern Water has released film and images showing what it’s like to walk inside Hampshire’s expanded Yew Hill underground reservoir for the very last time, before it gets filled with water.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.