According to figures from the District Councils’ Network, which represents 169 English councils, the average cost of rising prices has increased by 28% over the last two years, prompting calls for the government to restructure financing for the groups in charge of mitigating floods.
The primary reasons why the cost of flood defenses has increased during the current 2024–2025 fiscal year are rising energy and fuel prices, which are necessary for pumping stations, increasingly harsh wet weather, and salary increases.
In order to save almost a million people, public entities known as internal drainage boards are in charge of lowering the risk of flooding and controlling water levels.
Internal drainage boards must be financed by council taxes, which means that areas with high flood risks must spend a greater percentage of taxpayer funds on flooding than do places with little or no flooding.
Councils are cautioning that in order to pay for flood defenses, they may have to take money out of accounts intended for adult social care, libraries, and rubbish collection, among other things, due to a significant increase in internal drainage board costs.
