Birmingham third city in UK 'most at risk' of extreme weather as cold snap looms

New research has suggested that Birmingham is in the top three cities in England most vulnerable to climate risks posed by extreme weather such as flooding or heat. The in-depth study, combining publicly available information with claims data from AXA UK’s home and business premises insurance businesses, is a comprehensive piece of research undertaken to address the growing concern of the effects of climate change on properties across the country.

These findings reveal the climate risks which may pose challenges to the Labour Government's ambitious target of building 1.5million homes before the next Parliament. The report identifies the ‘core cities’ of England where homes are most at risk from extreme weather, with Birmingham coming third in the table for climate risks—due to its susceptibility to extreme heat—classifying it as a ‘hot spot’.

Birmingham's city centre is, on average, 4C warmer than the surrounding countryside in the West Midlands, with extreme heat a real and present threat to people and places. Flooding may also pose a threat to lives and finances as the homes most exposed to flood risks in the West Midlands face collective financial costs of at least £18million by 2055.

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London ranks as the city most exposed to heat and flooding risks, comprising seven of the top 10 most vulnerable constituencies in England as an ‘extreme weather zone’. Nottingham too falls into this category, ranking second among English cities.

Elsewhere in England, Bristol homes have been found to be vulnerable to heat but not flooding. Sheffield houses, by contrast, are at high risk for flooding but not heat. Notably, other large cities in England including Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, and Newcastle rank as the areas of least concern.

Tara Foley, CEO of AXA UK & Ireland, said: "We know that behind every headline about extreme weather is a human story, and at AXA UK we want to protect our customers from the impact of climate change and help them prepare for the future.

"This report maps out areas in England most at risk from flooding and extreme heat and calculates the associated costs, enabling decision-makers to identify where future resources should be targeted and where urgent investment is needed.

"We support the Government’s ambitious housebuilding target but believe we must ensure existing homes are resilient and future-proofed, and new properties are not built in flood-prone areas. This is crucial to protect our future for generations to come."

The key findings of the report are:

• Flooding is perceived to be the greatest risk in the next 10 years by 55 per cent of those polled, followed by severe storms (48 per cent) and rising sea levels (47 per cent).
• London is most vulnerable to combined climate risks of flooding and extreme heat.
• Coastal areas of the East Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber, as well as areas in the Southeast and London, are most vulnerable to flood risks.
• Homes and businesses in England with the highest chance of flooding face at least £818m in financial costs by 2055.
• Despite admitting having concerns about climate-related property damage, more than 50 per cent of those polled said they would be unprepared to deal with the impacts of flooding or extreme heat on their property.
• Half of those polled said they had never checked if their home insurance covered them for the effects of extreme heat, which can cause cracking and subsidence.

Following publication of the report, AXA UK is making several recommendations to the UK Government, including calling for the appointment of a Minister for Resilience to focus on these critical issues. Other key recommendations are avoiding building homes in high flood risk areas and encouraging and supporting home and business owners to protect their properties against flooding and heat damage.

Brumwish 2024 - buy a gift for a child in need

BrumWish 2024 is Birmingham Live's festive drive to get thousands of gifts to children and young people across our city - among them the homeless, the vulnerable, kids in care, kids who are poorly or struggling, and kids who have little.

There are THREE simple ways to help.

1. Buy a new gift from the Brumwish 2024 Amazon giftlist. In just a click your donation will be whizzing its way to our volunteers at Edgbaston Stadium.
2. Donate money to the appeal fund hosted by Thrive Together Birmingham - this will help pay for gifts for kids with specialist needs or specific wishes.
3. Buy a gift and, even better, rope in friends, neighbours and workmates to do the same, then drop off your pressies at Edgbaston Stadium, Edgbaston Road, B5 7QU on Friday 6th December, 10am - 3pm; Saturday 7th December, 10am - 1pm; or Monday 9th December, 10am - 1pm. Volunteers will be there to help you. Please don't wrap your gifts. You can also drop off by arrangement until Monday 16th December - contact Louise on 07469 979286.

Thanks to our partnership with #Toys4Birmingham, every single gift will find a good home in the loving care of a child living in B&Bs or hotels, hostels or refuges, children receiving support from specialist organisations and charities, and families being supported by children's centres and charities around the city.

Making up the Brumwish and Toys4Birmingham gang are Thrive Together Birmingham, Birmingham Playcare Network, Warwickshire Cricket Foundation (the charitable arm of Warwickshire County Cricket Club), Birmingham Forward Steps and BirminghamLive/Birmingham Mail.

Thank you to Amazon UK and the amazing team at the Sutton Coldfield depot for their support.