UK Launches Flood and Drought Resilience Taskforce

The UK government has launched a new Flood and Drought Resilience Taskforce, bringing together agencies and experts to prepare for winter flooding and ongoing drought. The taskforce’s first meeting, to be hosted by Floods Minister Emma Hardy, is scheduled for this Wednesday.

Significant funding is committed to flood protection, with recent investments already exceeding targets for property protection and defence conditions. The government pledged at least £10.5 billion in funding through 2036 to protect homes, businesses and critical infrastructure from flooding. A core part of this is £4.2bn committed between April 2025 and March 2029 to repair existing flood defences and build new ones across England.

The Environment Agency has committed to improve protection for 200,000 properties. During the programme's first two years, the government spent £2.65bn on flood defences, improving protection for almost 62,000 properties and exceeding its original target of 52,000. The Agency also reported that 93% of flood defence assets were at or above their required condition at the end of March 2026, with an aim to increase that to 93.5% by March 2029. A further £1.4bn is being spent on building and repairing flood defences during the 2026/27 financial year.

The government estimates that every £1 invested in flood protection prevents around £8 in economic damage, with the wider investment expected to deliver £27.9bn in avoided flood damage.

Public Guidance and Awareness Campaign

The Environment Agency has launched online tools and an animated film during Flood Action Week to help households assess risk and prepare for flooding. It has urged households to check flood risk, subscribe to alerts and create flood plans.

The agency has launched Flood Action Online, a one-stop shop website providing advice on assessing flood risk, preparing a household flood plan, and accessing flood warnings. The service also provides access to Met Office weather alerts during incidents. As part of Flood Action Week, a new animated film titled Missy and Stanley’s Tale has been released through a partnership between Aardman, the Environment Agency, and East Sussex County Council. Directed by Åsa Lucander and developed through the Blue Heart Project, the film follows two pets caught in unexpected flooding. It was funded by the £200m Flood and Coastal Innovation Programme.

Weather Outlook and Taskforce Focus

The Met Office warns of heightened flood risk this autumn linked to a strong El Niño, while the taskforce’s first meeting will assess winter readiness and drought lessons. It has warned of a 'heightened potential' for wet, windy, stormy weather and flooding this autumn, with the current El Niño likely the strongest on record.

This follows a summer of record-breaking temperatures and England’s third drought in five years, with July recorded as the driest in almost two centuries. The previous winter experienced four named storms-Bram, Goretti, Ingrid and Chandra-and several major flooding events, with England receiving 42% more rainfall than its winter average.

The first taskforce meeting will focus on England’s readiness for potential flooding this winter and lessons from the ongoing drought. Members will review improvements made since last year. The government said the country was better prepared for flooding than it was a year ago, with hundreds of pumps and kilometres of temporary barriers available for winter response. However, the Environment Agency estimates about 6.3 million homes and businesses in England remain at flood risk.

Broader Context of Extreme Weather Readiness

The taskforce complements existing drought efforts and aims to strengthen resilience to both flooding and drought, especially as they may occur in quick succession. It will include representatives from the Environment Agency, Met Office, mayoral authorities, fire and rescue services, farming organisations, water companies, and the insurance industry.

The new group will complement the National Drought Group, with the two sharing expertise. Emma Hardy, the Defra minister, announced the taskforce. "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," she said. The taskforce will consider how communities can better prepare for flooding and drought, with affected people expected to contribute experiences to future policy decisions.