Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:

To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to his letter of 8 January 2024 to hon. members with constituencies in England on Storm Henk Funding Support, for what reason financial support for (a) homes and (b) businesses affected by Storm Henk has been allocated by county; and if he will consider the potential merits of allocating financial support to flooded areas.

I extend my sympathy to all those affected by Storm Henk. I also recognise the efforts of councils and emergency responders and thank them for their ongoing work.

The Secretary of State activated the Flood Recovery Framework on 6 January. For the Storm Henk Flood Recovery Framework activation, eligible areas are those upper and lower tier authority areas:

• Reporting over 50 internally flooded properties (any combination of households and businesses) at their Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) level; and
• With properties flooded as a direct result of Storm Henk; and
• With properties flooded between the dates of 2 January 2024 and 12 January 2024.

Local authorities and Lead Local Flood Authorities are responsible for distributing funding to affected people. They are able to do as soon as they notify Government their area becomes eligible so the scheme can be extended. Government funding for eligible properties will be paid to local authorities retrospectively, based on the certified cost of providing relief.

The activation of the Storm Henk Flood Recovery Framework will be reviewed following implementation by local authorities.