- Louth & Horncastle has received £62,869,000 in investment to help protect against flooding and coastal erosion as part of the Conservative Government’s investment of £2.6 billion over six years for improving flood and coastal defences.
- Over 314,000 homes and 580,000 acres of agricultural land are better protected from flooding since 2015, and thousands of businesses, communities, as well as critical infrastructure have been given extra protection.
- The £2.6 billion, six-year programme of work dedicated to improving flood and coastal defences has exceeded its original targets by 14,000 homes.
- The flood defences targeted towards the areas that need them most have saved the economy more than £28 billion in damages to homes and businesses in communities across the country.
Investment in flood defences has been spread across every region of England, with Louth & Horncastle receiving an unprecedented £62,869,000 in investment since 2015.
The £2.6 billion six-year programme of work dedicated to improving flood and coastal defences has exceeded its original targets – with over 314,000 homes now better protected from flooding.
More than 850 new flood and coastal erosion defence projects have already been completed. Over 580,000 acres of agricultural land, as well as thousands of businesses, communities and major infrastructure have been protected – including more than 8,000 kilometres of roads.
The Conservative Government’s funding prioritised areas where flood defences were needed the most, supporting communities at high risk of flooding. New flood schemes in the most deprived parts of the country have also qualified for funding at 2.25 times the rate of other areas.
According to estimates, the programme has saved the economy more than £28 billion in damages to homes and businesses through the extra protection provided to communities across the country.
The assessment of this 2015-2021 programme comes as the government is one year into a £5.2 billion investment in around 2,000 new flood and coastal defences between 2021 and 2027. These upcoming schemes will help to reduce the national flood risk by up to 11 per cent and help to avoid £32 billion of wider economic damages along with a range of other benefits for local communities and the environment.
Commenting, Victoria Atkins said:
“Flooding can devastate communities. We must, therefore, put in place secure and long-term protections to protect our homes and livelihoods from the harmful impacts of extreme weather.
The huge £62,869,000 investment in the constituency of Louth & Horncastle is significant in protecting our community, homes and businesses from the destructive impact of flooding.
The Conservative Government is committed to doing more with record investment in flood defences over the next six years. I will continue to champion our local area to benefit from this funding going forward.”
Commenting, Environment Secretary George Eustice said:
“Our programme of work has protected over 314,000 properties, defending people, communities, and businesses from flooding and coastal erosion. We know that there is still more to do, so we are doubling our investment with a record £5.2 billion over the next six years.”