PUBLISHED in April, the Climate Change Committee’s latest Adaptation Progress Report, should be a wake-up call for everyone in Westminster.

It reminds us that more than six million homes and businesses are already in flood-risk areas, while heat-related deaths could exceed 10,000 per year by 2050 unless we step up our defences.

Our patch of Herefordshire isn’t immune: we saw flooding in almost every month of early 2025, and the heatwaves and wildfires of 2022 reminded us that soaring temperatures can be just as destructive as storms.

What struck me most was the committee’s verdict that, despite clear warnings, our national adaptation efforts under successive governments have remained underwhelming.

Drainage and flood defences are stretched thin, and measures to protect homes and farms from overheating barely register.

For our farmers, these challenges are already apparent. Extreme heat can wilt crops, stress livestock and complicate planting schedules, just as flooding can wash away fields and damage infrastructure. Yet this isn’t an impossible puzzle.

Many farmers in Herefordshire already know what they need to make their land more flood-resilient and defend against extreme heat.

Their practical know-how should shape any farming adaptation grants, ensuring schemes work on the ground rather than gathering dust in Whitehall.

We also need our homes and businesses to cope with heat. Retrofitting existing homes and buildings to stay cool when the mercury climbs, as well as ensuring all new builds are properly insulated and ventilated, will help shield our most vulnerable people from extreme temperatures. Ensuring flood resilience for homes in flood-risk areas must also be a national priority.

While some may still worry about the cost of adaptation, the report makes clear that doing nothing will cost us far more—in lost lives, lost homes, disrupted livelihoods and stretched public services.

What we need now is a clear funding commitment from the government, ring-fenced for resilient infrastructure in homes and public buildings, and targeted support for farmers and rural households.

I’ll keep pressing ministers to match our local determination with real action and resources. With practical, community-led steps and proper government backing, Herefordshire can become a model of climate resilience—ready to weather whatever comes our way.