UK floods taskforce told to start looking at drought

If you've ever felt baffled by the way Britain can find itself in drought just months after heavy flooding, this announcement might interest you.

With swathes of Britain still in drought after a record hot summer, and a sodden end to the year on the cards, an existing flooding taskforce has been told to start looking at drought as well.

The newly rebranded Flood and Drought Resilience Taskforce will meet for the first time on Wednesday, bringing together the Environment Agency, Met Office, local authorities, fire and rescue services, and the farming, water and insurance industries.

The announcement follows long-standing criticism of fragmented oversight that allows issues to fall through the cracks.

But the relaunched taskforce will not have any new powers, Sky News understands.

Ministers also stopped short of setting up a single dedicated phone line for flood victims, or an overall target for boosting flood defences, as recommended by the Environmental Audit Committee of MPs last year.

Britain is bracing for a soggy flood season this year, after the Met Office warned of a "heightened potential" for wet, windy, stormy weather and flooding in its long-range forecast.

While the October to December period typically brings wetter and stormier conditions, probabilities have been boosted by the powerful El Nino weather phenomenon, which emanates from the equatorial Pacific but disrupts weather patterns around the world, as well as a low-pressure weather system coming over the horizon.

The taskforce is designed to help Britain adapt to the swings between extreme weather as climate change is expected to bring hotter, drier summers and wetter, milder winters overall.

Already 6.3 million properties in England are at risk of flooding, expected to rise to 8 million by 2050 due to heavier downpours and rising sea levels.

Yet a third of people currently living in flood zones have no idea they are at risk, according to Environment Agency surveys.

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Emma Hardy, government minister for floods and drought, said: "We're taking a smarter, more joined-up approach to manage the nation's water."

The taskforce will "put communities and businesses at the heart of our work and will make sure the UK is ready for whatever the weather brings next", she added.

The government says it has committed a "record" £10.5bn for flood defences between 2024 and 2036 - an annual average of £875m.

But in May the government's climate advisers said £1.6bn was needed every year to 2050 just to keep the flood risk similar to today's levels.

The Climate Change Committee also warned "managed relocations" would be necessary for homes that cannot be protected from flooding.

Environment department officials said the existing National Drought Group would continue its focus on the operational response drought, while the new taskforce would take a broader view on how to prepare for flooding and drought in the long term.

It will share expertise between agencies and "champion community voices", the government said.

(c) Sky News 2026: UK floods taskforce told to start looking at drought