The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee says that the government has dismissed the majority of the Committee’s recommendations in its report on the human cost of coastal erosion in the formal response from Defra.

The Committee’s March report outlined practical steps the Government could take to help impacted businesses and households move on with their lives with dignity and certainty. MPs also aimed to highlight the human story of “grief” and “fear” felt by those under threat.

Whilst two of the cross-party Committee’s recommendations are taken up by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the majority are dismissed.

EFRA Committee Chair Alistair Carmichael MP said:

“The tone of the Government’s response fails to appreciate the emotional turmoil and real physical jeopardy that many coastal communities face, and which we aimed to convey to Defra through this report.

“If the Government cannot build enough coastal defences to protect everyone, a long-term national strategy to help households relocate will be required. While there are positive signals about reviewing grants to help with home demolition costs, that cannot be the only offer on the table. The risk otherwise is that residents who have built their lives by the sea could be left homeless in the years to come.

“The Government’s response trumpets the line that £10.5 billion will be spent over the next decade, which is welcome, but this money will be shared with spending on flood defences. Defra has refused to provide any detail on how these resources will be allocated, so it is fair to assume that in-land flood defences will continue to swallow up the lion’s share, as has been the case up to now.

“We will put more questions to the Government on its attitude and approach to these matters soon, and continue to make the moral case for why these communities deserve greater support.”

The Government’s responses to individual recommendations include:

Full range of human impacts should be recognised in spending decisions and policy making

Defra’s response states that the Environment Agency’s methodology for assessing benefits from building defences already includes a “a large range” of factors, including “direct damage to residential, commercial and public property… mental health costs, environmental and heritage damages, and lost tourism and recreation”.

A ‘defined approach’ is needed for consulting and engaging with affected communities

The government said coastal communities are already consulted with when developing Shoreline Management Plans, but this consultation does not happen on any regular basis. It was also argued that new Coastal Adaptation Pilots involve engagement with communities and “actively empower local people to jointly develop options for coastal adaptation”.

Conveyancing must include mandatory disclosure of coastal erosion risk

The Committee said the conveyancing profession and estate agents should be required to inform prospective homebuyers if a home falls within a risk zone, as defined by the Environment Agency’s National Coastal Erosion Risk Map. The Government said it recently carried out a consultation on the material information that estate agents should disclose, and will “publish guidance”. Later this year it will also publish “a roadmap setting out further details of our reforms”.

State-backed insurance for properties at risk

The Committee said the government should commission a review into the feasibility of creating a state-backed insurance scheme, similar to Flood Re. Defra rules this out, arguing that, compared with flooding, coastal erosion is a “known, permanent and progressive risk, rather than an unforeseen event”. It adds that there is an absence of any underlying insurance market in this field.

Update Assistance Grants value and criteria

Coastal Erosion Assistance Grants haven’t been updated since their introduction in 2010 and offer homeowners only £6,000 to help with demolition costs. MPs said Defra should publish a revised, evidence-based eligibility criteria and an increased value for the grants by December 2026. The updated criteria and grant value should be implemented no later than April 2027. Defra said it has begun a review of the grants which will take in evidence of insurance costs over the past five years and will do so within timescales the Committee set out.

Long-term national strategy needed to support relocation

The report said Defra should commit to establishing a long-term national strategy that provides financial assistance and relocation support for properties at risk of coastal change. This strategy should be in place no later than March 2027. And as part of developing this national programme, Defra should set out how lessons learned from the Pathfinder projects, the CTAP and the new Coastal Adaptation Pilots will be incorporated to the new scheme.

The response falls short of this recommendation. It gives assurance that the Coastal Adaptation Pilot will be used to develop long-term strategy, but suggests no further action will be taken until the Pilot is complete in spring 2029. It also says the Environment Agency is reviewing its National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy, due next year, but this is not relevant to assistance with relocation.

Capital investment should reflect social impacts

The report fails to directly respond to recommendations on ensuring that the EA’s decisions on capital investment take into account social and economic benefits that are difficult to monetise. It says the EA is carrying out research to assess the mental health costs of coastal erosion, but does not say that this will be used to inform investment decisions.

Elsewhere in the Government’s response:

• There is agreement on the Committee’s recommendation to strengthen the status of Shoreline Management Plans within local authorities’ Local Plans.
• It rejects the idea of publishing ratios of how much is spent between flood mitigation vs coastal erosion mitigation.

Click here to download the EFRA Committee report

Click here to download the Government’s formal response to the EFRA Committee report