Over £146M for flood and coastal schemes across Yorkshire and the Humber

The Environment Agency has announced that more than £146 million will be invested in over 150 flood coastal erosion schemes across Yorkshire and the Humber this year.

Last week, Floods Minister Rebecca Pow visited Hebden Bridge and a natural flood management scheme near Skipton as she brought together a roundtable of MPs, local authorities, flood experts and water companies to examine the issue of flooding along the River Aire and River Calder.

Held in Hebden Bridge Town Hall, the roundtable was an opportunity for the minister to hear from local representatives, including MPs and council leaders in communities that have suffered the devastating impact of flooding, and to look at how the Government, Environment Agency and communities can work together to improve the resilience of the area in the future.

The Aire and Calder river catchment has been one of the worst affected by frequent flooding in recent years, with major flooding hitting the areas in 2012, 2015 and 2020.

Between 2015 and 2021, the Government invested £530 million in flood and coastal schemes across Yorkshire and the Humber. The region has received more investment than any other region, including £113.2 million in the Aire and Calder catchments.

It was recently announced that the region will benefit from more than £146 million investment in over 150 schemes in 2021/22 – an extra £40 million compared to last year – as part of the Government’s plans to invest a record £5.2 billion in new flood and coastal defences across England over the next six years.