“I am determined to ensure we are prepared for whatever the weather may bring,” Floods Minister Emma Hardy said as the government’s Floods Resilience Taskforce met at The Deep in Hull on Thursday 18 December 2025. The fifth meeting put winter readiness front and centre in a city that knows flooding all too well.

The Met Office briefed ministers that high pressure should bring a spell of calmer weather over Christmas and into the New Year, but conditions are likely to turn wetter and windier later in winter. As Chief Meteorologist Will Lang put it, “the likelihood of a wet end to winter is higher than normal.”

The Environment Agency told the Taskforce it stands ready after recent storms. During November’s Storm Claudia alone, swift debris clearing and temporary barriers helped shield more than 18,000 properties; Storm Bram then followed with widespread wind and rain alerts across the UK.

Ministers say they inherited flood assets “in the worst condition on record” and have reprioritised £108m into maintenance, restoring expected protection for a further 14,500 properties. Earlier this year, an extra £250m was added to the national flood programme to repair damage and accelerate schemes.

For Hull, the stakes are plain. After London, the city is widely assessed as the UK’s second biggest flood risk; the 2007 floods damaged more than 10,000 homes and the 2013 tidal surge forced major repairs. Today, the Humber Hull Frontages scheme provides improved protection for around 113,000 properties along seven kilometres of shoreline.

Hosting the Taskforce at The Deep also shone a light on new Northern kit. The Property Flood Resilience Laboratory, opened here in October, is designed to get proven products to market faster. “We can’t prevent flooding altogether, but we can accelerate measures to better protect properties,” said Professor Stuart McLelland from the University of Hull.

Beyond national measures, ministers discussed giving people clearer advice. Expect plain‑English guidance on insurance to tackle misinformation, and use the Environment Agency’s upgraded Flood Warning Service to receive targeted alerts by river, coast or groundwater. Sign‑ups remain a simple win ahead of late‑winter storms.

Forecasting is being pushed further out. The National Flood Model now offers a 30‑day outlook (up from seven days last year), giving Local Resilience Forums more lead‑time. Over summer, responders also received rapid surface‑water alerts through the Flood Forecasting Centre’s Rapid Flood Guidance service.

Transport featured too. For Northern roads, rail and ports, the Department for Transport’s new Climate Adaptation Strategy sets a long‑term direction for building resilience. Minister Keir Mather said the plan gives “clear, actionable ways for our transport infrastructure to adapt.”

One practical outcome from Hull: the Taskforce will set up a new action group to improve public communication around flood reporting, echoing MPs on Parliament’s Environmental Audit Committee who want a single national flood line by March 2026. Expect proposals in the new year.

Closer to home, the Living With Water partnership has set out a £26.3m programme to take around 10 hectares’ worth of surface water off Hull’s combined sewers, add SuDS and build a tidal pumping station to the Humber-expected to deliver a 1–2% resilience gain across the catchment. “We’re…creating greener, more biodiverse spaces for communities to enjoy,” said Emma Brown, who leads the partnership. In west Hull, six new aqua‑greens in Derringham are already soaking up stormwater.

Bottom line for residents and businesses this winter: enjoy a calmer Christmas if the high pressure arrives, but stay flood‑ready for late‑season systems. Sign up for EA alerts, review insurance details, and consider simple property‑level measures. The North is doing the work; now the weather has its say.