Internal Drainage Boards: Finance
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the impact of increases in Internal Drainage Board levies on the financial resilience of local authorities; and whether he has considered the effect of such increases on the provision of other local services.
Answered by Alison McGovern
Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs) play a crucial role in managing water levels and flood risk.
The government is maintaining the IDB Levy Support Grant at £5m in 2026-27, the same level as 2025-26, in recognition of the financial impact continued increases in special levies has on affected local authorities. Allocations for the 2026-27 IDB Levy Support Grant will be announced in due course.
To support the provision of services, including those associated with managing water levels and flood risk, the majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.
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