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- Council flood funding payments exceed £15million
Council flood funding payments exceed £15million
| Published | 25 February 2008 |
|---|
Floods Recovery Minister John Healey today announced over £2.5million funding for six authorities across the country, to help them get back on their feet following last summer's floods.
This means that over £15million has now been paid out under the Bellwin scheme, which covers costs incurred by local authorities during immediate action to safeguard residents and property or prevent suffering as a result of a disaster or emergency. This money is on top of up to £63million of other Government support made available to help flood-hit communities.
Today's payments are:
- Herefordshire Council will receive £1,983,103
- Hereford and Worcester Fire and rescue Authority will receive £134,627
- Scarborough Borough Council will receive £198,582
- Wychavon District Council will receive £156,082
- Gloucester City Council will receive £46,995
- Stroud District Council will receive £8,673
This is the tenth set of Bellwin payments relating to last summer's floods and payments have now been made to 39 local authorities. It is the second payment for Gloucester City Council (they received and interim payment of £114,000 in December).
Floods Recovery Minister John Healey said:
"Last summer's flood caused widespread devastation and misery for thousands of people. I saw first hand the excellent response by local agencies, including local authorities, who worked tirelessly first to protect their communities and then to help people get back on their feet.
"But this comes at a cost. That's why we made it easier for councils to claim back additional costs from the Government, by significantly extending the period for which they can claim, and increasing the proportion of costs they can receive to 100 per cent of spending above the threshold. To ensure money reached councils as quickly as possible we also said we would make interim payments.
"I am delighted to announce funding today for these six authorities. This means that we have now paid over £15million to 39 authorities which will help them cover some of the costs of dealing with last summer's floods.
"But from my many visits to flood-hit areas I am only too aware that there is still a long way to go before some communities are back to normal. So Government is committed to continuing to support communities throughout this process and there will be more help to follow - including more Bellwin payments."
Notes to editors
1. These Bellwin payments mean the total flood recovery funding from the Government received by these authorities so far are as follows:
| Authorities | Total (£) |
| Herefordshire County Council | 2,269,114 |
| Scarborough Borough Council | 248,582 |
| Wychavon District Council | 829,582 |
| Gloucester City Council | 857,495 |
| Stroud District Council | 68,673 |
The costs typically covered include: costs of evacuating people from dangerous structures and works to make them safe following a natural disaster; temporary re-housing, initial repairs to and the clearing of debris from highways, pavements and footpaths.
The statutory requirement for the Bellwin scheme is that claims must relate to costs incurred by an authority on, or in connection with, immediate action to safeguard life and property or to prevent suffering or severe inconvenience as a result of a disaster or emergency.
The scheme does not usually cover capital expenditure; or the normal wages and salaries of the authority's regular employees; whether diverted from their normal work or otherwise, and the standing costs of the authority's plant and equipment.
The usual period to take action eligible for grant is two months but for the June and July floods that timescale has been trebled to six months. Local authorities will also be able to claim 100 per cent of eligible costs - instead of the normal 85 per cent - once they have spent over the threshold of 0.2 per cent of their revenue budget. The extension of time and the increase in the percentage means that authorities can claim more of their expenditure. While local authorities normally have a month to notify the department of their intention to claim under Bellwin, on this occasion the department has been proactive in contacting them to ensure that they are in no doubt that they can claim, know how to apply and are aware of what they can claim for.
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