Flooding and Severe Weather
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Brandon Lewis)
I would like to update the House on the latest position regarding the severe weather that has affected parts of the country from early December to date.
Since the east coast tidal surge on 5 December 2013, there has been further significant severe weather and flooding throughout Christmas and the new year, including in some areas that had already been affected by the events in December. In the light of these more recent events, we have expanded the remit of the flood recovery group to include all the severe weather events throughout December and January.
At the local level, local authorities and multi-agency partners have been meeting to oversee the recovery effort in their areas, and my Department has convened a number of recovery co-ordinating groups at a national level to engage with local authorities on their issues. Ministers and officials from across Whitehall will be meeting again this week to explore the options available for additional support to local areas. I have already activated a Bellwin scheme for local authorities in England to assist with costs incurred in responding to these events. As of 14 January 2014, my Department has received 27 notifications from local authorities that they intend to make a claim under Bellwin for the recent severe weather events in due course. No council has actually made a formal claim as such. Bellwin scheme compensates councils retrospectively for exceptional expenditure which is incurred. Equivalent funding for Welsh and Scottish local authorities is a matter for the devolved Administrations.
Of course, with events such as these there are always lessons to be learned. The Government will review their response to severe weather, including flooding, to identify what more we can do to mitigate and respond to such events in the future.
I would like to thank all of those emergency responders, local authorities and charitable organisations who have worked to protect and support flood affected communities throughout this time. I will continue to update the House on recovery progress.