More than 400,000 hectares of agricultural land across England will receive a significant, further boost to its flood protection thanks to £16 million in additional funding for internal drainage boards (IDBs), Floods Minister Emma Hardy will announce today.
Some 91,000 homes and businesses are also expected to benefit from the IDB Fund, which has been bolstered to a total of £91 million on top of the previously allocated £75 million.
IDBs are the vital local public bodies who manage water levels for agricultural and environmental needs across the country. They serve 1.2 million hectares of land covering 9.7 per cent of the country’s total land area, operate around 500 pumping stations, and maintain more than 22,000 kilometres (13,700 miles) of watercourses.
The funding will go towards helping IDBs with operational expenses following the devastating winter storms of 2023/4, including bankrolling the repair of pumping stations.
It will also enable investment in modernising and upgrading IDB assets and waterways to ensure they are fit for the future.
Defra says that the investment will also improve resilience for farmland, flood infrastructure and rural communities, delivering growth and supporting agricultural production.
Floods Minister Emma Hardy said, “Flooding can take a devastating toll on farmers and rural communities. This additional funding will ensure rural flood assets are more resilient or fully replaced, putting IDBs on a firm footing to deliver their vital work on flood and water management for years to come.
“Thousands of properties and tens of thousands of hectares of farmland are already seeing their flood resilience improved as part of the Government’s Plan for Change and today’s further investment will help support our farmers further.”
The Environment Agency manages the Fund and will distribute grants to IDBs by the end of April 2025.