Communities impacted by flooding will benefit from thousands of
pounds of Government funding to help them recover from the impact
of Storm Babet.
The Communities Secretary and Environment Secretary
Thérèse Coffey have announced support will be available to areas
in England that have experienced exceptional localised
flooding.
Under the measures announced today:
- Flooded households in affected areas can apply for up to £500
to give cash quickly to help with immediate costs.
- Households and businesses significantly affected by recent
flooding will be eligible for 100% council tax and business rates
relief for at least three months.
- Small-to-medium sized businesses in affected areas will be
eligible for up to £2,500 from the Business Recovery Grant to
help them return quickly to business as usual.
- Eligible flood-hit property owners will be able to apply for
up to £5,000 to help make their homes and businesses more
resilient to future flooding via the Property Flood Resilience
Repair Grant Scheme.
The support will be made available through a scheme known as the
Flood Recovery Framework, which is used in exceptional
circumstances to support councils and communities following
severe flooding.
Communities Secretary, MP said:
The support I am announcing today will give those impacted by
these terrible floods a helping hand so they can get back on
their feet and recover from Storm Babet.
I will continue to work closely with our partners across
Government and councils to make sure we are doing all we can to
support businesses and families who have had to face such
challenging and upsetting circumstances.”
Environment Secretary Thérèse Coffey said:
My sympathies are with everyone who has experienced the
devastating effects of flooding. I would like to thank our
Environment Agency teams and first responders, with 62,000
properties already protected thanks to our flood
defenses.
Our Property Flood Resilience Repair Grant Scheme will soon be
open to help residents better protect their property in the
future, giving some peace of mind as they rebuild and
repair.”
Environment Agency teams and first responders have been working
round the clock on the ground with local partners to manage the
risk of flooding, including operating flood defences, flood
storage reservoirs and putting up temporary barriers where needed
to help protect our communities. Around 62,000 properties
have been protected thanks to the defences in place.
Funding for flood defences has increased with over 374,000 homes
better protected since 2015 thanks to this investment, and the
Government is going even further by delivering a record £5.2bn
investment to better protect hundreds of thousands of
properties.
Support will be available through councils who will announce
further details on eligibility and how to apply.
Further information:
- The Flood Recovery Framework was established in 2017 and is
Government’s primary route for providing swift, responsive
financial support packages to households and businesses impacted
by severe flooding in England.
- The Framework is activated at Ministerial discretion and has
been activated twice previously: in November 2019, following
heavy rainfall in northern and central England, and again, after
Storms Ciara and Dennis in February 2020.
