Flood relief at last for people severely affected by floods in Calderdale

Around 1,200 residential and business properties across Calderdale were flooded during Storm Ciara, which hit the region earlier this month leaving towns and villages under water.

Flood-hit members of the public can now apply for up to £5,000 to help make them more resilient to future flooding, while the government will convene the cross-Whitehall Flood Recovery Taskforce (environment, businesses, and transport ministers) to provide boroughs with bespoke support and guidance.

Leader of Calderdale Council, Tim Swift said: “I’m delighted by this announcement as it’s something we’ve been pushing for since Storm Ciara hit 10 days ago.

"It made a real difference in 2015 and I know it will come as a relief to our local communities and businesses.

“Our officers are now urgently working through the details so we can open up the funding schemes as soon as possible.

"As soon as they are available we'll promote them widely as we want everyone who is eligible to make a claim.”

The funding package includes up to £500 in financial hardship payments for flood-hit households; 100% council tax and business rates relief for at least three months for households and businesses affected by flooding; up to £2,500 from the Business Recovery Grant for small-to-medium sized businesses which suffered severe, uninsurable losses, and up to £5,000 for flood-hit homes and businesses to help make them more resilient to future flooding.

Once applications for the funding schemes are open, the details and the criteria will be published on www.calderdale.gov.uk, on www.eyeoncalderdale.com.