New 10-year flood and coastal erosion investment programme launches

The UK government will commence a new 10-year flood and coastal erosion investment programme launching in April 2026, aligned with the Infrastructure Strategy, according to the UK Government Resilience Action Plan published in July 2025¹. The plan states that over the programme's first three years, £4.2 billion will be invested in flood and coastal erosion resilience¹.

The same document sets out existing spending alongside the new programme: a £2.65 billion total investment for 2024/25 and 2025/26, which it says is better protecting over 52,000 properties across England through new or improved flood defences². The foreword by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Pat McFadden, describes the £4.2bn as being for flood defences "to build and maintain flood defences, protecting communities across England from the dangers of flooding"¹.

The plan gives the scale of exposure it is intended to address. It states that 6.3 million properties in England are in areas at risk of flooding, and that the total number could increase to 8 million by the middle of the century, or around one in four properties². It also records recent use of Emergency Alerts to assist with evacuations during acute flooding on the River Soar in January 2025 and on the Rivers Roe and Ive in May 2024¹.

The plan describes resilience as a shared responsibility and sets out the government's view of the public's part in it. The foreword states that for the average person this "may involve looking out for vulnerable neighbours and stocking up on some basics like bottled water and a torch"¹. The plan also notes that its actions focus primarily on England, UK government departments and reserved matters, with the devolved governments responsible for significant aspects of resilience².

Why it matters for households

The programme concerns households in areas at risk of flooding and coastal erosion, principally in England, where the plan says 6.3 million properties are in areas at risk². The funding is described as covering both building and maintaining flood defences¹. The plan does not set out which locations will receive funding under the new programme, and no allocations by region or scheme have been reported.

The plan records that Emergency Alerts have been used to support evacuations during acute flooding, most recently on the River Soar in January 2025¹. It also states that the second public national test of the Emergency Alerts system will take place on 7 September, and that as with the first test in April 2023 the message will be sent to every compatible phone nationwide¹. The year of that test is not given in the quoted passages.

On household preparation, the plan's foreword refers to looking out for vulnerable neighbours and keeping basics such as bottled water and a torch¹. The plan also refers to a Risk Vulnerability Tool developed with the Office for National Statistics to help public servants better protect vulnerable people when managing readiness for long term risks¹.

What happens next

The programme launches in April 2026¹. The plan states that the second public national test of the Emergency Alerts system will take place on 7 September¹. It also states that the national exercise for 2025 will be a pandemic preparedness exercise, described as the first of its kind in nearly a decade and set to be the biggest in UK history². The plan says the Cabinet Office will instruct the UK Resilience Academy, by the end of 2025, to convene a number of panels per year of relevant experts to scrutinise plans and preparedness for whole-system civil emergencies across the UK¹.

Households can read more on coastal flooding, tidal surges and erosion, flood defences and alleviation schemes, flood alerts, flood warnings and severe flood warnings, property flood resilience grants and home insurance in a flood risk area and Flood Re. The wider policy background is covered in the UK Government Resilience Framework and Action Plan and the national resilience campaign.