George Osborne has announced a £50m fund to help families and businesses affected by the severe flooding seen across the North of England.
As with the ‘Repair & Renew’ grants, there will be £5,000 per household, to be administered by local councils. Hopefully, this time the government will allow part of the funding to be spent by councils on administering the scheme and on publicity to make sure that owners know that they can get the help.
This comes as the latest Environment Agency data revealed that around 2 million homes in England and Wales were at risk from flooding, with over 500,000 of those at ‘moderate’ or greater risk.
Chief Executive of the National Flood Forum, Paul Cobbing, said: “Flooding destroys lives as well a property. Managing flood risk should be a national priority across Government, with everyone playing their part and we still have a long way to go.”
However, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs defended the Government’s record and current plans to spend £2.3 billion on flood defences over the next six years, saying the commitment was “in line with the Environment Agency’s estimation of annual optimum investment”.
A Defra spokesperson told PoliticsHome: “We are spending more than £3.2 billion over the course of this parliament on flood management and protection from coastal erosion – half a billion pounds more than in the previous parliament.
“We will also be making record levels of capital investment, spending £2.3 billion over six years in improving defences right up to 2021.
The UK Flood Defence Alliance is working with homeowners, businesses and councils to provide property level flood protection. There are now so many options it can be confusing. The UKFDA aims to help by bringing many manufacturers together to provide choice and the best possible protection, all through one point of contact.
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