Institution responds to UK Budget 2014: £140m flood defence investment a ‘sticking plaster’ which doesn’t go far enough

The Institution's Dr Colin Brown says Government needs to be investing in new flood defences and ongoing maintenance projects to ensure long-term UK resilience, neither of which was mentioned by the Chancellor. The Institution however welcomed plans to provide more support for manufacturers working in energy-intensive industries, as well as plans for a new centre of excellence for the advancement of graphene.

Dr Colin Brown, Director of Engineering at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers:

“The £140 million announced in today’s Budget for repairs to UK flood defences is a ‘sticking plaster’ approach and simply does not go far enough.

“The Government needs to be investing in new flood defences and ongoing maintenance projects to ensure long-term UK resilience, neither of which was mentioned by the Chancellor. Equally, there was no mention of resilience plans for other extreme weather conditions which the UK will be increasingly susceptible to in future years.

“Every £1 spent in resilience saves £4 in future relief and rebuilding costs, which is why we need to be taking a much longer-term view of UK infrastructure.

“Elsewhere, the Institution welcomes the Chancellor’s proposals to provide £7 billion to cut energy bills for manufacturers in energy-intensive industries.

“These initiatives will help UK firms become more competitive in the global market by reducing costs and encouraging them stay in the UK.

“The Institution also welcomes the continuing support for graphene, a truly British invention with a multitude of future possibilities.  The creation of a new centre of excellence will advance the already committed £111m to graphene research and exploitation, and will help the UK reap the commercial benefits this miracle material.

“Additionally, while we welcome the support for HS2 and regional airports and the Chancellor’s vision of seeing this beyond the current plans, we need to see more details and the Government needs to show more commitment to creating an integrated UK transport system.”