Flood relief to protect homes and businesses
News release issued:
Owners of homes and businesses flooded by storms earlier this year are being offered help to claim up to £5,000 to help protect their properties from future flooding.
Wyre Forest District Council is to send out application packs to around 150 homes and business properties in Bewdley, Stourport and Wolverley that were flooded internally as a result of Storms Ciara and Dennis.
The council has already given out £202,000 in council tax and business rates relief and a further £3,000 in additional flood grants to help residents and businesses deal with the immediate aftermath of the storms.
Now it will be working with those same residents and businesses to take measures that will help protect them from internal flooding in the future or make adaptations that will help them make the properties usable more quickly if water were to get inside the properties in future incidents.
The council will be writing directly to all those eligible for help under the Government-funded Property Flood Grant scheme with details on how to apply. The scheme is not open for new or general applications from the public.
Those residents and businesses who are eligible to apply will also be offered guidance and support through the application process from the National Flood Forum charity.
Council Leader Councillor Graham Ballinger said: “In many ways the devastating floods that hit our district seem a long time ago. But I’m sure those residents and businesses that were internally flooded by the storms are still very much living with the damage that was caused.
“At the time of the floods our staff worked extremely hard to help those worst affected receive grants, hardship payments and tax and business rates relief to deal with the immediate impact of the floods.
“We are now turning our attention to the longer term and will be working with local residents and businesses to access these additional funds so they can either protect properties from being flooded in future or recover more quickly if that is not possible.”