The House of Commons  Environmental Audit Committee is holding a live evidence session this afternoon from 2.30pm onwards to examine whether flood resilience efforts in England are fit for purpose.  

With estimates suggesting that climate change could cause one in four properties to be at flood risk by 2050, the evidence session will explore what are the solutions and whether the Government’s current approach to flood resilience is adequate.

The Environmental Audit Committee is seeking to get to the bottom of these issues with the Climate Change Committee’s Adaptation Committee, the National Infrastructure Commission, academics specialising in flood risk and experts in flood and coastal risk management.

Members will be exploring current Government policy and flood resilience approaches, and what may be needed as the future flood risk becomes greater with climate change.

They will be considering nature-based solutions vs grey infrastructure, and how joined up England’s monitoring of the flood risk is.

The evidence session comes following widespread flooding across England earlier in the month following heavy rainfall and snowmelt. Last week, a survey by Climate Barometer found that three-quarters of people think the UK is not prepared to deal with flooding and other extreme weather driven by climate change.

Witnesses appearing before the Committee are as follows:

 From 14.30:

• The Baroness Brown of Cambridge DBE, Chair of the Adaptation Committee, Committee on Climate Change
• Professor Richard Dawson, Member of the Adaptation Committee, Committee on Climate Change

From 15.15:

• Professor Jim Hall, Commissioner, National Infrastructure Commission
• Professor Briony McDonagh, Professor of Environmental Humanities, University of Hull
• Professor Larissa Naylor, Professor of Geomorphology and Environmental Geography, University of Glasgow
• Dr. Paul Sayers BEng PhD CEng MICE, Partner at Sayers and Partners

Click here to watch the Evidence Session live on Parliamentlive tv