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Social justice and the future of flood insurance

Flooded street. Photo: Flickr/castle79

A political philosopher from the University of York has co-authored a new report on how the system of flood insurance in the UK can treat vulnerable people more fairly in the future.

The report on Social Justice and the Future of Flood Insurance was co-authored by Dr Martin O’Neill of the Department of Politics at York, and Professor John O’Neill of the University of Manchester. It was published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, to coincide with a major national conference on “Insurance, Communities and Flood Risk”, organized by the National Flood Forum (NFF).

The study recommends a move towards a fairer system of flood insurance, and explains the underlying principles of justice and social solidarity that recommend such a system. The report is critical of the more risk-reflective, market-based position adopted by Defra (the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), and outlined by Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Natural Environment, Richard Benyon MP at the NFF.

Catastrophic flooding has become increasingly frequent in the UK and, with climate change, is likely to become even more frequent in the future, according to the authors. The UK's current flood insurance regime ends in 2013 with the expiration of a time-limited “Statement of Principles” between the government and the Association of British Insurers (ABI). In this context, the Report argues that:

  • there is an overwhelming case, based on principles of fairness and social justice, for rejecting a free market in flood insurance after 2013;
  • the alternative market-based approach is unjustifiably unfair and ultimately unsustainable, and threatens to leave many thousands of properties uninsurable, leading to extensive social blight;
  • there are a number of possible flood insurance models, including a number that are currently in operation in other European countries, that would be fairer and more sustainable than a predominantly free-market approach.

Speaking at the NFF conference, Gavin Shuker MP, the Shadow Minister for Water and Waste, said: “When we look at the issue of fairness, we agree with the arguments made by Martin O'Neill and John O'Neill in the Joseph Rowntree Foundation Report published just today. We believe that leaving this issue to the free market to resolve is not fair or just. Not fair to those most in need. Not just in achieving the outcomes we all want.”

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