Flood and Drought Resilience Taskforce launches as Yorkshire moves into drought

(by Karma Loveday)

A new Flood and Drought Resilience Taskforce will meet for the first time on Wednesday, with an express commitment to champion community voices and strengthen the nation’s ability to plan for and respond to extreme weather.

The new taskforce will bring floods and drought minister Emma Hardy together with representatives from more than 50 organisations, including the Environment Agency, Met Office, Mayoral authorities, the Fire and Rescue Services, and the farming, water and insurance industries. The group will share expertise – from understanding risks and assessing preparedness to supporting the development of a longer-term resilience strategy.

Defra said the voices of communities affected by both issues will be central to the new taskforce, through direct engagement and the inclusion of more community-based groups, so their lived experiences and insights inform future policy development.

The inaugural meeting is expected to focus on assessing preparedness for winter flooding and learnings from the ongoing drought.

Defra said the new taskforce is designed to complement the work of the National Drought Group, which coordinates the operational response to drought, and that NDG outputs will inform the taskforce’s work on strategic resilience and preparedness.

There have been three droughts in the past five years – 2022, 2025 and now 2026. As a result of climate change, longer and hotter summers are combining with more intense rainfall in winters, leading to an increased likelihood of drought and flooding events.

Hardy said: “We’re facing extreme weather, with flood and drought intertwined, but the Government is taking decisive action. We’re taking a smarter, more joined-up approach to manage the nation’s water and set up our new Flood and Drought Resilience Taskforce. This 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. We are also backing that ambition with historic investment, including £4.2bn for existing and new flood defences that will protect even more people in the years ahead.”

The news on the new taskforce came as Yorkshire was moved from ‘prolonged dry weather’ into drought status on Friday, joining the rest of the country except for the North East and North West, which remain in prolonged dry status.

The Yorkshire area has had the fifth-driest April to September on record. The ongoing lack of rain means the flow in rivers and groundwater levels in certain parts of this area are very low and have now reached the trigger for declaring a drought.