Extract 2 – The infrastructure gap and regional resilience

The data in Table 2.1 compares regional flood vulnerability and public infrastructure investment metrics across different regions. This highlights the uneven distribution of physical protection and infrastructure assets, demonstrating the need for regional structural policies.

Table 2.1 Measures of infrastructure investment and risk vulnerability by region

In December 2022, a £5 billion Climate Resilience and Infrastructure Fund was announced by the government. This fund prioritises the need to upgrade physical defences and invest heavily in local flood barriers, drainage systems, and environmental protection networks in vulnerable coastal and rural communities.

This commitment follows a policy briefing proposing several options to address regional infrastructure disparities:

• Invest in large-scale coastal flood defence barriers in Eastern coastal regions, addressing the current imbalance where infrastructure spending is 3.1 times higher per capita in the capital city than in regional areas.
• Subsidise green infrastructure and sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) to create sustainable local economies in lagging regions.
• Relocate regional environmental agencies and engineering units to high-risk zones to base technical decision-making closer to the affected communities.
• Provide targeted grants directly to local authorities to implement immediate flood mitigation projects based on local priorities.

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