This Thursday at Environment Questions Emma warned that Government cuts at the Environment Agency were endangering communities across Britain.
Emma told the Minister Dan Rogerson that the devastating floods seen in parts of the UK this winter showed that cuts to the Agency’s budget were the wrong thing to do at a time when experts agree that Britain faces greater flood risk in the coming years.
Emma asked the Minister:
“Despite the lessons of this winter, the Environment Agency is still set to lose hundreds of frontline staff because of DEFRA budget cuts. The agency’s chief executive has admitted that that will mean fewer resources for maintenance work. Does the Minister think it is responsible to cut the agency’s resources at a time when flood risk is increasing?”
Mr Rogerson insisted that frontline jobs would be protected, saying the Agency would maintain over 10,000 staff this year. You can read Emma’s question, and the Minister’s full response, by clicking here.
But the Minister’s reply ignores the findings of climate experts, including the Environment Agency itself, which say that climate change is likely to increase the risk of flooding in the future. Earlier this year the Climate Change Committee warned that current levels of spending on flood defences and maintenance were not enough to prevent further floods becoming more likely in the future. The Committee warned that the potential cost of damage could be as high as £3 billion.
Speaking after Environment Questions, Emma said:
“Even after the disastrous floods we saw this winter the Government refuses to recognise the dangers of cutting back on staff. Climate change puts us at greater risk of floods like this occurring in the future, but the Government is refusing to meet the threat by giving the Environment Agency the resources it needs.
“The Minister also failed to tell the whole story in his answer. The job cuts at the Environment Agency have been delayed, but the Agency is still set to lose staff in the future with potentially dangerous consequences for communities at risk of flooding.”