Half a million trees to be planted in England in three years, says government

Exclusive: Environment secretary Angela Eagle to make pledge as part of efforts to protect against extreme weather

Official response and confirmed impact

Half a million trees will be planted across England in the next three years to protect against extreme weather, the environment secretary, Angela Eagle, will pledge on Wednesday morning.

Mayors, local authorities, charities and grassroots groups will be given new funding and responsibilities for restoring natural landscapes such as wetlands, river edges and meadows, which can provide natural flood management and reduce the damage done by droughts.

The £79m package, to be set out in Eagle’s speech to the Labour party conference in Liverpool, will include £53m for tree-planting and £26m for “local nature recovery strategies”.

This summer’s drought showed the urgent need for more trees, and more protection of natural landscapes, Eagle is to say.

“In areas where nature has been allowed to flourish, the ground held more water, and the droughts were less severe,” she will tell the conference.

“On streets where trees have been planted, the shade meant temperatures were lower. And when rain finally came, those same trees reduced the risk of floods.

We all deserve access to the benefits that nature can bring.”