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• Government remains committed to the people affected by Cumbria floods - John Denham

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Government remains committed to the people affected by Cumbria floods - John Denham

Published	17 December 2009

Demonstrating Government's commitment to the people affected by the floods in Cumbria, Communities Secretary John Denham will today visit Cockermouth where he will meet and pay tribute to the excellent work done by local authority staff, faith representatives and charity workers, including the British Red Cross.

During this meeting, where he will acknowledge what has been done in ensuring Cumbria is open for business and getting back to normal life, he will announce which local authorities will receive a share of £1m to support the most vulnerable people in their communities.

Speaking about the progress in Cumbria's flood recovery operation, John Denham said:

"I want to reassure people in flood affected areas of Cumbria that this is a time when we must continue to work together, to support people rebuilding their lives and rebuilding local businesses. This Government won't just stand by and watch; this Government stands ready to help and do what it can to help those communities that have been devastated by the floodwaters.

"These floods have shown the vital role of communities. People from all walks of life have come together to lend a hand and do everything possible to make the best out of this terrible experience. The Red Cross, in particular, should be commended for their excellent and constant humanitarian work in helping Cumbria get back to normal.

"Cumbria councils, too, are to be congratulated for their efforts in helping their communities to get back on their feet and this new money will help the small number of councils with large numbers of households flooded to carry on that vital work. Councils are free to spend this money on their priorities for their communities. I also want to express my gratitude for the excellent work carried out by Rosie Winterton in leading the cross government recovery operation.

Allerdale, South Lakeland and Eden councils will all receive a share of the Community Recovery Fund, designed to provide support to flood hit communities.

This funding is part of a £3.7m package of help from Government to help rebuild the flood affected parts of Cumbria. Thanks to Government support and action from Cumbria Council and local people, since the floods, a temporary foot bridge has been installed, a free shuttle rail service is running, direct assistance has been provided to farmers and community care grants are providing people with household essentials such as cookers and fridges.

The Community Recovery Fund was announced by John Denham on 21 November and has been activated for Cumbria for the first time since its inception in 2007. This Fund is in addition to the money local authorities can claim from the Bellwin Fund.

Notes to editors

1. Details of today's payments are set out below:

Authorities to which grant is to be paid	Amount of grant
Allerdale Borough Council	£738,136
Eden District Council	£42,310
South Lakeland District Council	£219,554

The payments are based on the best available data held by local authorities on the number of households who were flooded following the November 2009 floods.

2. The Community Recovery Fund, activated by the Communities Secretary, was established in the wake of the 2007 flood (link below). This is the first time it has been activated. http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/fire/pdf/1304416.pdf

3. Today's payments are intended to help the small number of councils with the biggest pressures. This financial support is in addition to funding from the Department for Transport Emergencies Capital Highways Maintenance Fund, and from the Bellwin scheme. The North West RDA have also made up to £1m available for businesses. Defra has also announced that £500,000 will be available to help farmers clear debris and gravel left behind by the flooding and that £1.2m is available to the local community to help flooded businesses and farmers rebuild trade, local tourism and other local initiatives over the next year, through the Rural Development Programme for England.

4. On 21 November 2009 the Communities Secretary also announced that the Bellwin scheme, for non insurable emergency clear up costs and temporary accommodation to Local Authorities (above the threshold of 0.2 per cent) will be set at 100 per cent above threshold rather than 85 per cent.

5. Local authorities are also required to make some provision for these sorts of emergencies. Much of the expenditure will be covered by insurance either on an individual basis for homes or for businesses.

6. Local authorities are free to spend their allocation of the Community Recovery Fund on activities or items they feel will best support their communities. However, Government expects the grant to be used for:

Activities and facilities to support affected communities e.g. for children and young people.

• Support payments to affected households
• Purchase and provision of new household items (e.g. fridges, cookers)
• Temporary accommodation (where not covered by the Bellwin scheme)
• Increased local authority staff costs for supporting the recovery of affected communities, over and above the usual activities (where not covered by the Bellwin scheme)
• Other priorities set through consultation with affected householders

Previously extra funding was used to support residents who have been displaced by the floods, such as by providing new white goods or emergency cleaning, to pay for a team of electricians to visit flood affected homes or payments to village halls/community organisations for flood damage to property/facilities if they have suffered financial loss i.e. no insurance/insurance excess.

Funding

• To help local businesses, homeowners and tenants, a total of £3.7m has been pledged to communities in Cumbria that have been devastated by flooding.
• A temporary footbridge is currently being installed at Workington by the Army that will help people go about their daily lives. Network Rail opened a temporary station at Workington North on November 30 to reconnect communities cut off by the floods.
• DfT is meeting the costs of running the additional train service from the temporary station at Workington North. The Government is paying the costs of a free train shuttle service.

HM Revenue and Customs has a special Helpline - 0845 300157 - for anyone affected by the recent floods, where fast, practical help and advice is available.

The British Red Cross has been highly visible in the flood affected areas. They have taken part in over 200 rescues together with the RNLI and Fire and Rescue Service. They have also helped search 929 properties, with RNLI and Fire and Rescue Service. This equates to over 431 man-hours worked by Red Cross ambulance support staff and volunteers. The Red Cross is encouraging people in the Cumbrian community to register with the Red Cross whether they are back in their homes or not. To register, people should call: 0759 044 5367 or 0762 354 4524.

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