Consultation launched on flood insurance and property flood resilience

Consultation launched on flood insurance and property flood resilience

Written by Defra Press Office

There is widespread coverage of our announcement today that householders in flood-hit areas who install property flood resilience measures – such as flood barriers, air brick covers, and flood resistant coatings on walls – could obtain discounted insurance premiums.

The story has been picked up in The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mail, The Sun, The Yorkshire Post and Western Daily Press and sets out the two main proposals of the consultation, with discounted premiums for households and increased payments to households who suffer from flooding to make their homes better protected and more resilient to flooding.

The government has also published a Call for Evidence to look at changes to the flood funding formula to benefit frequently flooded communities, and ways to increase the up-take of property flood resilience measures so that homes and businesses are better protected.

In total there have been at least 23,000 publicly funded installation of property flood resilience measures since 2009. However, the government is seeking ways to increase uptake across the country, alongside providing record funding for new flood and coastal defences.

Environment Secretary George Eustice said:

My thoughts are with all of those affected by Storms Bella and Christoph.

In Northwich last week I saw for myself the impact that flooding has on homes, businesses and communities. I am determined to get more support to people hit time and again by floods.

These plans aim to give households in flood hit areas additional support to protect their properties.

Floods Minister Rebecca Pow said:

During Storm Christoph 49,000 properties were protected by our defences. I recognise that this is of little comfort to those who have been flooded and that there is more to do.

The plans will give people in flood hit areas more help to build back better and reduce the risk to homeowners in the future

Combined with a record £5.2 billion government investment over the next six years in new flood and coast defences, hundreds of thousands properties will be better protected.

The documents being published today are the latest example of the progress being made by the government on a wide range of flood risk management measures set out in the flood and coastal erosion risk management policy statement, published in July 2020.

The plan is the most comprehensive in a decade and includes investment of £5.2 billion to create around 2,000 new flood and coastal defences to better protect 336,000 properties in England by 2027.

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