Ministers, the Environment Agency and the Met Office met in Hull on Thursday 18 December for the fifth session of the Floods Resilience Taskforce. The agenda focused on preparedness for the remainder of winter and confirmed a cross‑government workplan for response and recovery.
A Met Office briefing indicated high pressure is likely next week, bringing a drier spell over Christmas and into the New Year, with a higher chance of wetter, windier conditions returning later in winter. The Taskforce agreed to maintain heightened readiness through late January and February in line with that outlook.
The Environment Agency reviewed recent operations, noting that actions during Storm Claudia and subsequent events-such as debris clearance and deployment of temporary barriers-helped protect more than 18,000 properties in England. Lessons from Storm Bram were also considered to ensure staff and equipment remain pre‑positioned for rapid response.
Defra confirmed that £108 million has been reprioritised to maintenance, addressing deteriorated defences and restoring expected protection levels for a further 14,500 properties. Ministers reiterated that a proportion of high‑consequence assets had fallen below the required condition and that maintenance is being accelerated to mitigate risk.
The meeting took place at The Deep, which now hosts the Property Flood Resilience Laboratory developed with the University of Hull and partners. The facility is intended to speed up testing of property‑level measures so reliable products reach homes and small businesses. The Taskforce also discussed guidance to improve the accuracy of insurance advice for households and to counter misinformation.
The Department for Transport published its Climate Adaptation Strategy for Transport on 18 December, setting a long‑term direction to keep people and goods moving during extreme weather. Actions include preparing transport‑specific objectives for the next National Adaptation Programme, supporting resilience standards by 2030, issuing guidance on infrastructure interdependencies and working with the Met Office on training.
Forecasting upgrades were highlighted. The Met Office and Flood Forecasting Centre have enhanced the National Flood Model to support a 30‑day outlook, complementing the planners’ Flood Outlook, while the Rapid Flood Guidance service operated between June and October to flag short‑notice surface water risks to responders.
The Taskforce noted London’s first Surface Water Strategy, published in May by the Flood Ready London partnership led by the Environment Agency, London Councils and the Mayor of London. City Hall identifies almost 320,000 properties at high risk of surface water flooding; the strategy launches catchment partnerships and adds new SuDS funding to reduce disruption.
Local authority recovery processes have also been refined. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has updated the Flood Recovery Framework to speed identification of eligible areas when ministers activate support, and a toolkit is available to help councils implement the schemes.
On public information, the Taskforce will establish a new action group to improve how flooding is reported to and understood by the public. This reflects Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee recommendation for a single national flood reporting and information service by March 2026.
For insurers, utility operators and local resilience forums, the changes provide more usable lead time and clearer operational triggers. The 30‑day outlook supports staffing and preventative maintenance plans; Rapid Flood Guidance adds short‑notice support on convective rainfall days; and new national guidance clarifies risk management for caravan and holiday parks.
Warning systems are also being renewed. A new digital flood warning service-assessed at beta in July 2025-is replacing the legacy platform, alongside ongoing local expansions of coverage. Residents and organisations can register for free to receive warnings by text, phone or email.