Flood Action Week 2025

That this House notes the importance of Flood Action Week, the Environment Agency’s annual campaign encouraging individuals and communities to prepare for flooding by raising awareness of risks and offering guidance on staying safe; acknowledges that this year’s campaign, running from 13 to 19 October, coincides with the second anniversary of Storm Babet; recognises that, since then, communities including those in Somerset have endured repeated flooding from Storms Henk, Bert and Eowyn; highlights the campaign’s value in urging people to check flood risk, sign up for warnings, prepare emergency plans and take vital steps such as knowing how to turn off utilities and never walking or driving through flood water; regrets the recent withdrawal notice issued by the Environment Agency concerning the cessation of maintenance on Somerset’s designated Main Rivers, weakening local flood resilience; welcomes the Government’s £2.4 billion commitment to flood defences for 2024-25 and 2025-26, but urges that funding be extended and ring-fenced beyond this period to ensure long-term preparedness; recognises the vital role of farmers and landowners in natural flood management by storing water and slowing the flow to prevent downstream flooding; and calls on the Government to review the qualifying criteria for the Farming Recovery Fund so it better reflects the realities faced by rural communities and farmers living with the consequences of flooding.