Managing flood risk in your area

The Environment Agency

The Thames Region is home to 12 million people. Within the region it is our job to maintain 5,200km of Main River and 193km of tidal defences.

This includes operating the Thames Barrier – London’s main defence against flooding. Flood defence money is spent on the construction of new flood defence schemes, the maintenance of the river system and existing flood defences together with the operation of a flood warning system.

The financial details are:-

For 2007/08 the expenditure to be raised by levies is as follows:
	Thames Regional - 2007/2008	Flood Defence Committee - 2008/2009
	£’000	£’000
Gross Expenditure	81,551	88,357
Net Expenditure	69,749	76,342
Levies Raised	9,000	10,000
Total Council Tax Base	4,904	4,952

The majority of funding for flood defence comes directly from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

However, where there are schemes which do not attract central funding the Agency may seek funding from County and Metropolitan Councils, Unitary Authorities and London Boroughs in the form of a Local Levy. The Local Levy is shared on the basis of Band D Equivalents between all contributing bodies within the Committee Area.

Changes in the gross expenditure between the years are due mainly to a £5.9 million increase in Grant in Aid and £1 million increase in the programme of levy schemes in 2008/09. The total Local Levy has increased from £9 million in 2007/08 to £10 million for 2008/09.

Contact

You can access up-to-date flood warnings in your area via our website www.environment-agency.gov.uk or from floodline on 0845 988 1188.

In the event of a river flooding emergency call our incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60.

Local Taxes