Households across Nottinghamshire will benefit from fairer and more affordable flood insurance following reforms to the Flood Re scheme, with lower premiums and new measures to help communities build resilience against future flooding.
The most significant change for lower-income families is a reduction in the cost of contents-only flood insurance to just £25 a year for eligible households in Council Tax Bands A and B, coming into effect from April 2027. For many families in Rushcliffe and across the county, the cost of insuring belongings against flood damage has been a significant burden — or has put insurance out of reach altogether. These reforms directly address that.
Beyond lower premiums, the package introduces a range of resilience measures. Pilot Flood Performance Certificates will give homeowners clearer, more accessible information about the flood risk their property faces. Enhanced Build Back Better support will allow eligible households to access up to £10,000 towards flood-resilient repairs following a flood event — helping families not just recover, but rebuild in a way that reduces their vulnerability in the future.
James Naish, MP for Rushcliffe, welcomed the announcement, noting that flooding has a real impact on families, businesses and communities across the constituency. He said the Flood Re changes mark an important step forward in making the country more resilient, and that he would continue working with local and national partners to ensure Rushcliffe is as prepared as possible for future flooding events.
Floods Minister Emma Hardy MP said that over the past decade Flood Re had transformed access to flood insurance — with coverage now universal even in the highest-risk areas, after years in which many households faced unaffordable premiums or could not secure cover at all. The new reforms, she said, are designed to ensure the scheme is better targeted in its second decade, with a particular focus on supporting fairness and reaching more low-income households.
Flood Re has supported households at high risk of flooding since 2016. These reforms represent the most significant update to the scheme since its launch, and signal a shift from simply providing access to insurance towards actively incentivising flood resilience — an approach that will matter increasingly as the impacts of climate change continue to be felt in communities across Nottinghamshire and beyond.
