Councils get £1.2m after flooding

Thousands of people were rescued from their homes

More than £1.2m is to be given to 25 local authorities which are helping flood-hit families pay their council tax bills.

Floods Recovery Minister John Healey said the funding was for the councils, which are helping more than 1,500 families affected by the 2007 flooding.

The number of people still out of their homes had more than halved since the end of June to about 1,100, he said.

Hull City Council will receive the most cash - £445,153 to help 513 families.

Tewkesbury Borough Council will be given £233,000 to help 129 families.

Meanwhile, Herefordshire Council will receive almost £9,000 to help 13 families and Malvern Hills District Council will get £32,000 to help over 50 families.

Initially 48,000 homes were affected by the floodwater, the government said.

'Daily' effects

Homes which were left unoccupied and in need of major repair were exempt from council tax after the floods for up to a year.

Some councils receiving funding Doncaster: £44,191 for 152 families East Riding of Yorks: £119,975 for 327 families Wychavon in Worcestershire: £48,965 for 118 families West Berkshire: £111,076 for 84 families Stratford-upon-Avon: £3,462 for 9 families

A year after the flooding, Mr Healey wrote to councils reminding them they could give discretionary discounts of up to 100% and urging them to do so.

Mr Healey said on a visit to Hull: "For most people last summer's floods are a distant memory. But I know many families and communities still feel the effects on a daily basis.

"That's why I have taken special steps, in recognition of these special circumstances, to help councils who have undertaken to ensure families don't pay council tax for homes they cannot live in."

In many cases the 1,500 families affected were now back home and the council tax discounts covered time between the tax exemption and their return.

The government said it had now put in more than £134m to support areas affected by the 2007 floods.