ADA responds to Spending Review

Spending Review Phase 2

Current (operational) and capital (infrastructure) spending are both reviewed to balance immediate needs and long-term investments. The Spending Review also addresses broader fiscal challenges, including managing public debt and ensuring value for money.

At Autumn Budget 2024, the government committed to setting resource budgets for three years and capital budgets for five years, with reviews every two years. 

This survey by HM Treasury sought views on spending priorities and allowed organisations to suggest policy proposals that could inform decisions about resource allocation over the Spending Review period, and deliver public services more efficiently or effectively.

ADA responded highlighting our primary concern that there is an increasing and unacceptable lack of maintenance of existing flood resilience assets and systems and their continued deterioration across England, including the condition of main river assets and flood embankments in lowland areas. ADA strongly argues that the allocation of available funding for flood defences and flood resilience work in the next Spending Review Period must give high priority to bringing flood risk assets and our main river systems back up to a good standard. Continued under-investment in maintenance of our flood risk assets could have severe consequences for the social, environmental and economic wellbeing of the United Kingdom with potential decline in private investment, increased risk to peoples’ health and wellbeing, and damage to our environment.