Support for Flooded Households

Support is available from a number of sources for those unfortunate enough to have suffered from flooding damage in December 2015.

Four separate funding schemes are now in place to support households and businesses affected by flooding, as follows:

  • £500 for every household that has been flooded
  • Flood resilience grants of up to £5000 (launching 4 January)
  • Council Tax relief scheme for flood properties
  • Funding for households via the Cumbria Community Foundation

Full details of each scheme are given below.

1. Government Funding for properties that have been flooded

The government is providing local authorities with Community Grants as part of the Communities and Business Recovery Scheme. This will be equivalent to up to £500 per household affected by flooding. It will help with recovery costs such as the provision of temporary accommodation. In Cumbria, this will mean a fixed payment of £500 for a property that has been flooded.

For those households that pay their Council Tax by direct debit, payment will be made directly into their bank account and the payment will show up as a payment from Allerdale Borough Council, which is administrating the scheme. If you do not pay your council tax by direct debit then please contact Allerdale at [email protected] or call 01900 702 600.

2. Household Flood Resilience Grant Scheme

The Prime Minister announced on 9th December 2015 a scheme to provide grants of up to £5,000 to homeowners that had been flooded over the incident period 3-11th December 2015 to help fund additional flood resilience or resistance measures for homes. This funding is available for works associated with flood protection of properties affected by the flooding.

Households that think they may be eligible should contact Allerdale Borough Council from the 4th January 2016 to find out what next steps they need to take.

Grants are intended only to fund measures that improve a property’s resilience or resistance to flooding over and above repairs that would normally be covered by insurance. Grant application forms should be submitted and approved in advance of committing expenditure. If applications are retrospective there is a risk to the homeowner that costs may not be eligible for grant funding.

3. Council Tax Relief scheme

The Council Tax relief scheme will apply to Council Tax payers in respect of both unoccupied and partly occupied properties. The relief will be available from the 12th of December 2015.

For unoccupied properties, a 100% Council Tax discount will apply to all properties that have been rendered uninhabitable due to the flooding. This discount will apply for the period the property remains unoccupied and uninhabitable, will be for a maximum period of 12 months & will cease on reoccupation of the whole premises.

For partly occupied properties, a 100% Council Tax discount will apply to all properties that have been rendered partly uninhabitable due to the flooding and the residents have remained in the property but the occupation of the whole property is limited by flood damage.

This relief will apply for the period the property remains partly occupied, for a maximum period of 12 months, will cease on reoccupation of the whole premises & will be subject to verification by Allerdale Borough Council officers.

Properties that were empty or 2nd Homes at the time of the flooding will be allowed to claim the relief for a maximum period of 6 months.

4. Funding for individuals and families from the Cumbria Community Foundation

The Cumbria Flood Recovery Fund 2015, which is being run by the Cumbria Community Foundation, will provide financial assistance to help individuals and families who have been affected.

There is help available for individuals and families whose homes have significant structural damage from flooding and for employees who have lost work or income because of storms or floods. Please go online to apply at www.cumbriafoundation.org.