Improved flood risk management vital to Government delivery on sustainable housing and growth.

The new Government should reform flood and coastal erosion risk management policy to protect vulnerable communities and deliver sustainable housing and economic growth.

Cross-party think tank Policy Connect’s latest report, ‘Bricks and Water: Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Policy for a New Government’, is chaired by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering, alongside vice-chairs, Lee Pitcher MP, Helen Morgan MP, and Blake Stephenson MP. Bricks and Water sets out how Government can more effectively manage flood and coastal erosion risk in England. 

The fourth Bricks and Water inquiry by the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum comes at a critical time. The new Government has committed to building 1.5 million homes over the next five years, whilst also pledging to adopt a long-term, strategic approach to managing flood risk.  

Despite the previous government’s record £5.2 billion investment in flood risk management, the Environment Agency estimates that 6.3 million properties are at risk of flooding in England – a number that could rise to 8 million by the middle of the century, due to climate change. 

Following the wettest 24-month period on record for England, he latest Bricks and Water report examines how policymakers can improve flood and coastal erosion risk management to ensure both new and existing communities are sustainable, resilient to climate change, and able to support the Government’s targets for economic growth. 

The report, following an inquiry by the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum, is informed by a range of expert opinions, including those from the water, construction, and insurance sectors, along with non-departmental public bodies, local authorities, and academia.

Bricks and Water sets out eleven recommendations for the new Government to deliver meaningful and lasting improvements in flood and coastal erosion risk management outcomes, covering the following important themes:

• Planning Policy.
• Flood Defence Funding and Maintenance.
• Coastal Change.
• Property Flood Resilience.

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering, Inquiry Chair 

“This is the fourth inquiry that I have Chaired in the Bricks and Water series, and it comes at a crucial time, as vulnerable communities across the country deal with the consequences of winter storms Bert and Darragh.

The new Government plans to build 300,000 houses per year during this Parliament.  However, throughout this inquiry, we have heard that new homes are continuing to be built within areas of high flood risk and coastal change, often against the advice of the Environment Agency. The Government’s forthcoming agenda for planning reform must not come at the expense of safeguards that protect communities from flooding.  This report includes a set of pragmatic recommendations to help policymakers manage the risks from flooding and coastal erosion, whilst also facilitating growth.”   

Blake Stephenson MP, Inquiry Vice-Chair

"When Mid Bedfordshire was flooded last year, it raised a lot of questions for constituents who suffered the terrible consequences.  

We are all living with an increasing risk of flooding and it is important that government ensures policies - such as the planning framework - are improved so that people and property are not at undue risk from flooding.   

This report makes sensible and practical recommendations to achieve just that, and for the sake of all our communities I would encourage the government to consider each of them seriously.”

Rob Allen C.WEM, report author

“Economic growth cannot happen when people are displaced from their homes, public transport is disrupted, and businesses are closed – all direct impacts of flooding. Effective flood risk management is not only a vital prerequisite to deliver on the new Government’s Mission for Growth, but it is also a good use of public money.  We recognise the constrained nature of public finances, which is why many of the recommendations in this report do not require new Treasury funding, but rather simple changes to policy, which can make a big difference to the way that the Environment Agency, Local Authorities, developers, and other stakeholders protect people and places from flooding.”

Jason Storah, CEO at Aviva General Insurance

“We see first-hand the devastating impact that flooding and extreme weather can have on homes, businesses and livelihoods.  It’s vital that we work together now, to get ready for what the future may hold. Over the last ten years, 110,000 new homes have been built in flood zones and we need to prevent that number from increasing. As Government undertakes its planning reforms we are calling for a three-step check to ensure new properties are climate-ready; built in the right places; built with the right materials; built with resilience as standard.” 

Notes to Editors

For more information, please contact James.Taloyr [at] policyconnect.org.uk (James[dot]Taylor[at]policyconnect[dot]org[dot]uk)

The report is sponsored by Aviva, Queen Mary University of London, Resilico, Southend on Sea City Council, and Watertight International.

About Policy Connect 

Policy Connect is a cross-party think tank. We specialise in supporting parliamentary groups, forums and commissions, delivering impactful policy research and event programmes and bringing together parliamentarians and government in collaboration with academia, business and civil society to help shape public policy in Westminster and Whitehall, so as to improve people’s lives. 

Our work focusses on five key policy areas which are: Education & Skills; Industry, Technology & Innovation; Sustainability; Health; and Assistive & Accessible Technology. 

We are a social enterprise and are funded by a combination of regular annual membership subscriptions and time-limited sponsorships. We are proud to be a Disability Confident and London Living Wage employer, and a member of Social Enterprise UK. 

About the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum

The Westminster Sustainable Business Forum is a coalition of leading parliamentarians, businesses, academic institutions, and organisations informing better policymaking on sustainability issues for the built environment. Over the last five years, the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum (WSBF) has published four Bricks and Water policy inquiries on water and housing in England, all chaired by Baroness McIntosh of Pickering.