Current status: Answered by Gillian Martin on 17 February 2026
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of indications that the capital funding allocation for climate action lies in the local government budget, whether it will set out what (a) funding is in place for flood defence projects across Scotland, and (b) the total amount being provided for this purpose is.
Ministers and COSLA Leaders have agreed that £42m from the General Capital Grant will be distributed for flood resilience in 2026-27. The Draft Budget also includes £20m of capital funding for the Climate Emergency, and £15.5 for Inter Island Connectivity.
The Scottish Government’s policy on spending is to allow local authorities the financial freedom to operate independently. It is then the responsibility of local authorities to manage budgets and to allocate their financial resources, including on flood protection, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities.