The Environment Agency has shared a new factsheet explaining how flood risk and drainage work is funded across Lincolnshire and the wider Anglian region.
This information helps answer common questions from residents about drainage charges and levies.
Flood and water management is funded through several mechanisms which support maintenance, flood defences, and wider flood risk management across catchments rather than individual properties.
General Drainage Charge (GDC)
The General Drainage Charge (GDC) is a statutory charge that applies to occupiers of agricultural land and buildings in the Anglian area that fall outside Internal Drainage Board (IDB) boundaries.
The charge helps to fund:
- Maintenance of main rivers
- Sea defences and tidal embankments
- Local flood defence work
It applies only in Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and East Anglia and is separate from any charges raised by Internal Drainage Boards.
Local Levy
The Local Levy is raised through Council Tax and is used only within the region where it is collected. The levy:
- Supports flood and coastal risk management projects
- Helps unlock additional government funding
- Allows priority projects to start sooner
- Funds studies, monitoring, community projects and Natural Flood Management
Local Levy funding supports coastal protection, tidal and sea flood resilience, main river and surface water schemes, and routine maintenance that may not be possible through national funding alone.
Internal Drainage Board (IDB) Precept
The IDB Precept is a contribution that the Environment Agency can require Internal Drainage Boards to make each year. This funding primarily supports maintenance work but can also contribute to wider flood and coastal risk activities.
Unlike the Local Levy, IDB precept funding must be spent in the year it is raised and cannot be carried forward.
Why Isn’t Maintenance Guaranteed at Specific Locations?
These charges and levies are not payments for work on individual fields or properties. Instead, they contribute to managing flood risk across entire catchments.
This means:
- No individual landowner is guaranteed maintenance
- Benefits may be indirect rather than visible at a specific site
- Work is prioritised based on flood risk, environmental need, and available resources across the whole area
Even where no work is planned at a particular location, that land still benefits from the wider management of watercourses and flood defences.
Further Information and Contacts
Residents can find more information or raise enquiries using the details below:
- Email: lnenquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk
- Customer Contact Centre: 03708 506 506 (Mon–Fri, 8am–6pm)
- Incident Hotline (24/7): 0800 80 70 60 (to report flooding, pollution, blockages or damaged defences)
Ruskington Parish Council will continue to share useful updates from the Environment Agency to help keep residents informed.
