WARRINGTON North MP Charlotte Nichols has welcomed vital Government reforms to deliver fairer, cheaper flood insurance.
Residents in parts of Callands and Padgate saw significant flooding on New Years Day in 2025, in addition to residents of Densham Avenue in Orford in 2021.
Families across England – including in Warrington North – will benefit from cheaper and fairer flood insurance as the Government reforms the Flood Re scheme to better target support at those who need it most. Flood Re, a joint Government and insurance industry scheme, has helped ensure affordable flood insurance for households at highest risk since 2016. These reforms will build on that success by updating the scheme to reflect rising flood risk and the growing impact of climate change.
As part of the changes, contents-only insurance for households in Bands A and B will be reduced to £25 a year from April 2027, helping families protect the things that matter most and easing cost-of-living pressures.
The reforms will also end the current unfairness where ordinary households subsidise the most expensive properties, ensuring support is properly focused on low- and middle-income families.
Alongside this, new measures will shift the system towards prevention as well as protection. Flood Performance Certificates will give households clearer information about their flood risk, while strengthened Build Back Better measures will allow homeowners to access up to £10,000 to improve resilience when repairing flood damage.
The reforms will maintain access to insurance for all eligible homes while improving the long-term sustainability of the scheme through to 2039, including the introduction of a cap on claims.
These changes sit alongside record Government investment in flood defences, including £1.4 billion next year alone, as part of the largest flood resilience programme in the country’s history.
Charlotte Nichols said: “Flooding has had a real impact on residents in Callands, Padgate and in Orford over the years, so ensuring people can access affordable insurance is absolutely vital.
“These reforms will make a meaningful difference – cutting costs for households, restoring fairness, and helping communities better protect themselves against future flooding.
“I will continue working with the Government and local partners to ensure Warrington North gets the support it needs to stay resilient.”
Floods Minister Emma Hardy MP said: “Flooding is truly devastating, turning lives upside down and leaving families facing enormous uncertainty – making access to affordable insurance even more vital.
“Over the past decade, Flood Re has transformed that access. Before, many faced unaffordable premiums or could not secure insurance at all, but thanks to this initiative access is now universal, even in the highest-risk areas.
“Under these new reforms, this government is working with Flood Re and industry to further evolve our approach. By reducing premiums and making wider changes we will ensure that, in its second decade, the scheme is better targeted to support fairness and ensure more low-income households get the support they need.”
Dame Amanda Blanc, Group CEO of Aviva, said: “I’m pleased Flood Re has agreed to lower premiums for contents insurance for households in Council Tax bands A and B, which was a key recommendation in the Independent Review of Flood Insurance that I carried out for the Government in 2020.
“Reducing premiums for contents-only cover in these bands will help improve affordability and allow lower income households in high-risk flood areas to access the vital protection that insurance brings.”
Graham Brogden MBE, on behalf of the International Property Flood Resilience Association (IPFRA), said: “It is encouraging to see a stronger focus on making flood insurance more affordable for those on the lowest incomes, who are often the most exposed to flood risk. Reducing costs for these households, alongside investment in practical resilience measures, is an important step forward.
“The commitment to pilot Flood Performance Certificates is particularly welcome, helping to recognise and incentivise action to improve property-level resilience. Bringing together affordability and resilience in this way is vital to creating a more sustainable approach to managing flood risk in the years ahead.”
