More grants on offer to help communities tackle flooding
Communities who want to carry out projects to reduce the impact of flooding can apply for grants of up to £25,000.
For the third year running, Oxfordshire County Council is offering groups the chance to apply for grants of up to £25,000 for work to make their communities more resilient to flooding.
Councillor Judy Roberts, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Place, Environment and Climate Action, said: “In our role as lead local flood authority we are delighted to be able to fund another round of these priority action grants.
“Last year we received more than 80 applications, and we would welcome a similar response this year. It is fantastic that these groups are so committed to improving the situation where they live.
“When it comes to knowing what is needed to tackle flooding in a particular area, local communities are often the experts. Sadly, due to climate change and the increase in instances of extreme weather, flooding is now affecting more people and more severely than ever.”
The funding will be targeted at flood schemes led by parish, town, district and city councils, flood groups and catchment partnerships and is available for the upcoming financial year (April 2026 - March 2027).
The aim is for communities to deliver small scale work themselves to reduce flooding from surface water run-off, ordinary watercourses and groundwater.
Groups wishing to apply have until 4 May to register their expression of interest by emailing floodmanagement@oxfordshire.gov.uk
The council aims to let applicants know which projects can be supported by 30 May 2026.
Last year, the council awarded grants totalling over half a million pounds to help fund nearly 40 schemes to reduce flooding in Oxfordshire.
The grants funded surface drainage improvements; natural flood management schemes; ditch clearances and ditch construction; culvert inspections; water pumps; track repairs to reduce surface water flooding; the installation of timber dams; and flood sensors.
The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) received two grants to carry out natural flood management and other work – one at Carswell Marsh and another at Little Milton, in association with Little Milton Parish Council.
Daniel Akam, BBOWT’s Senior Reserves Officer, said: “Like many watercourses, the Hasley Brook has been altered historically to drain agricultural land more efficiently. The speed that the water now flows off the land has contributed to flooding downstream in Little Milton, particularly during extreme weather events, which are now becoming much more common.
“Here at Wells Farm, much of the brook flows through woodland in a natural way and is allowed to spill over, making the woodland wet. This already helps slow and store the water on the nature reserve and is of great benefit to the local wildlife.
“The funding will allow us to naturalise another section that was historically canalised and deepened. We plan to achieve this by regrading sections of the steep canalised banks, allowing the water to spill over at times of high water; creating natural permeable log dam features; and raising the bed level of the brook by creating gravel riffles, reconnecting the channel with the flood plain.
“We also hope to create a new backwater which will connect to the brook in times of flood, providing even more places for the water to be stored. All of this will help slow down and store water naturally, at the same time improving the habitats found at Wells Farm and the health of the Hasley Brook.”
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