East Suffolk Council say new £18million funding can't be used for sea defences
The money is allocated to tackle erosion across Suffolk, Norfolk and East Yorkshire under new coastal adaptation pilots.
Coastal communities in Suffolk are set to receive a share of new government funding aimed at helping areas adapt to accelerating coastal erosion, but residents and local leaders have warned the money will not stretch far enough to address the scale of the problem.
The Environment Agency has announced £30 million in funding for coastal adaptation across England, with £18 million of that shared between East Yorkshire, Suffolk and Norfolk under new “coastal adaptation pilots”.
The funding is intended to support communities most at risk from rising sea levels and increasingly intense storms linked to climate change. Measures include long-term adaptation planning, selective property purchase for homes at risk of falling into the sea, and support for residents who may need to relocate away from eroding coastlines.
However, East Suffolk Council leader Caroline Topping said the funding would not be used to build new sea defences.
“Obviously, we're always delighted when central government gives us more money,” she said. “However, £18 million between three counties for coastal work is not a lot of money, and we don’t actually know how much of the £18 million we’re going to get yet.”
“It’s not money given to us to stop what is happening"
She explained that the funding comes with strict criteria and cannot be used for hard engineering solutions such as rock armour.
“This particular money has been committed to helping residents who will in the future need support in relocating from the front line of the sea,” she said. “It’s not money given to us to stop what is happening. We cannot buy rock armour and say we are going to stop the sea. That’s not what this money is for.”
In erosion hotspots such as Thorpeness, where several homes have already been demolished, and others are at risk, residents say the announcement offers limited reassurance.
Local homeowner Sophie Marple said while any funding was welcome, it did not reflect the scale of erosion already being experienced along Suffolk’s coastline.
“That is quite a small number,” she said. “I mean, I’m very pleased, obviously, any funding is good, but East Suffolk alone has over 77 kilometres of coastline and dozens of areas of erosion. So while it can help, it doesn’t exactly open up lots of opportunities.”
She said residents have repeatedly been told that large-scale sea defences are unaffordable, but added that detailed costings for potential long-term solutions have not been shared.
“I’ve never seen an actual quote,” she said. “I’ve seen numbers banded around from hundreds of thousands to millions, but no one has ever said: this is what it would actually cost.”
"There are no winners"
Ms Marple also said the impact on residents had gone beyond physical damage to homes.
“This is full of heartbreaking stories,” she said, describing neighbours who have already lost properties and others who feel unable to stay because of stress and uncertainty. “At the moment, it feels like there are no winners.”
Ms Topping said council officers were engaging directly with affected residents to explain what the funding can, and cannot, be used for.
“If we don’t stick to the criteria, we don’t get the money.”
She added that climate change was accelerating erosion faster than many had expected.
“Climate change is here,” she said. “We lost metres of cliff last year under normal conditions, one night we lost around 15 metres and we didn’t even have a storm.”
The Environment Agency said the coastal adaptation pilots, which are due to start in April 2026, are designed to test sustainable ways of managing changing coastlines in the long term. Participating areas will be required to provide a local funding contribution of 10%, with the aim of unlocking additional investment.
According to the agency’s national coast erosion risk map, around 20,000 properties across England could be at risk of erosion by the end of the century.