UK floods – help for communities

David Cameron on Chesil Beach, Dorset 

On Wednesday, David Cameron announced a comprehensive package of measures to help families, businesses and farmers hit by the floods. The measures include:

• a £5,000 “repair and renew” grant for all affected homeowners and businesses - this will top up any money received from insurers to ensure flood resilience is built into homes and businesses as they are repaired. Details of how to apply will be published next week - week beginning Monday 17 February

• all affected businesses will get 100% business rate relief for 3 months and will also get an extra 3 months to pay their business taxes as they get back on their feet

• a £10 million fund for farmers suffering water-logged fields to help restore land to farmable condition as quickly as possible

• a total commitment of £750 million from the major banks to provide financial support to business and individual customers affected by the floods

• railways and roads - £31 million for 10 rail resilience projects and £30 million for local authorities in England for road maintenance required due to the severe weather

The Prime Minister said:

“People need to be reassured that we will do whatever it takes to help people during this very difficult time. Of course I am very sorry for any way that people have suffered. What we have tried to do is stand up the emergency response arrangements as quickly as we could.”

For latest news of the government response to the severe weather and floods see: UK floods 2014: government response

Flood defences

Last week, the government announced an additional £130 million for critical flood defences.

Over the course of this Parliament the government will spend £3.1 billion, more money than ever before, on protecting people from flooding.

This investment is part of the government’s long-term flood defence spending programme to protect communities and deliver vital infrastructure projects. This will ensure 165,000 homes are better protected by 2015 – 20,000 more than the original target.

Be prepared

During this period of unsettled weather, we advise you to stay up to date with the latest National Severe Weather Warnings. 

• On the web - find out if your area is at risk of flooding with the Environment Agency Live Flood Warning map - this is updated every 15 minutes

• On Twitter - follow the Environment Agency @envagency for latest news and information on the flood risks

• On Facebook - register your postcode at FloodAlerts to get flood warnings in England and Wales