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MP welcomes cash to protect homes and businesses from flooding
05/02/2025

The money will be used to shore up defences and for maintenance
Banbury’s MP has welcomed the announcement of £2.65 billion of funding over two years to better protect homes and businesses from flooding. Its anticipated that 66,500 properties across the country will benefit by March 2026.
No specific details of how much money will be spent in the Banbury area have been shared yet – they are expected in the spring.
Sean Woodcock, MP for Banbury said: “The recent floods in Banbury and the surrounding area had a devastating impact on our communities in North Oxfordshire. I have heard many stories from local people about how flooding had impacted their homes and families.
“This investment in our flood defences cannot come soon enough. After 14 years of Tory failure on this, I am delighted that the Labour government is taking this issue seriously and putting forward the funding needed to deal with this.”
The money will be used to shore up defences and shifted towards maintenance.
The Government says they inherited flood assets in their poorest condition on record with 3,000 of the Environment Agency’s 38,000 high-consequence assets at below the required condition.
Today’s announcement comes as the Government’s Floods Resilience Taskforce meets to look at further steps that can be taken to protect the 6.3 million properties in England at risk from flooding.
Steve Reed MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said: “The Conservatives’ flood defence negligence over the past 14 years was a dereliction of duty that left communities in the South East exposed and cost the economy billions.
“They failed to spend over two thirds of the money pledged for flood defences, leaving our flood defence infrastructure in the poorest condition on record.
“That’s why this Labour Government is now investing a record £2.65 billion to build and maintain flood defences across the country to protect lives, homes and businesses from the dangers of flooding.”
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam