Government shares out flood cash

The city has been allocated £2.1m of £8m awarded so far to help the massive clear-up operations.

Doncaster has received the second highest sum - £1.6m - with East Riding, Wakefield and Sheffield given £600,000.

The leader of Hull City Council welcomed the emergency money, but said it was only "a drop in the ocean".

Carl Minns described Hull as the "forgotten city" after the floods, and the council has said the cost of the flood damage could hit £200m.

Floods Recovery Minister John Healey said the money would help but admitted that more was needed.

Mr Healey announced how money would be shared out among the 34 flood-hit local authorities, which cover large parts of Yorkshire and the Midlands.

Response praised

It is part of a £10m humanitarian package, announced by Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Saturday, to help those people with the greatest needs.

The remaining £2m will be allocated following an updated assessment of the damage.

"We must avoid a situation where it is the hard-pressed council taxpayer that is left to foot the bill"
Sir Simon Milton
Chairman of the Local Government Association

'Drop in the ocean'

A further £3m will go to meet claims from local authorities to help with the cost of repairing roads and bridges, and £1m will meet grant applications to cover replacement of essential household items for vulnerable flood victims.

Mr Healey said: "I've met residents, businesses and local authorities in the flood-hit communities about the clean-up challenges they face.

"I know this money will help but I also know more is needed."

Sir Simon Milton, chairman of the Local Government Association, praised the government for acting quickly but said it was too early too gauge what the eventual cost would be for the 34 councils.

He said: "Local authorities will inevitably need to go back to the government in the months that come to ensure that local people get all the help that they need.

"We must avoid a situation where it is the hard-pressed council taxpayer that is left to foot the bill."

Freak event

Other funding, especially to help businesses, has been made available by the Regional Development Agencies, with £2.5m allocated in the Yorkshire and Humber and East Midlands regions.

A further £1m has been made available to help the West Midlands' tourism economy recover.

A BBC survey of local councils suggests that more than 28,000 properties were affected by June floods.

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Four people died in the floods and thousands of people are still in temporary accommodation.

On Thursday, Environment Secretary Hilary Benn launched a government inquiry into the causes and responses to the "once in a 400-year event".

It is to be led by officials from the Cabinet Office, despite calls from the Conservative Party for an independent inquiry.

Initial findings should be published by the end of the year, and a further review will be held at a later stage into the long-term recovery effort for affected areas.

FLOOD AID RECIPIENTS
Other awards:

£100,000 Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council Birmingham City Council North Lincolnshire District Council Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council Lichfield District Council Leeds City Council Wyre Forest District Council £50,000 South Shropshire District Council Derbyshire Dales District Council West Lindsey District Council Boston Borough Council Selby District Council Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council Bridgnorth District Council Malvern Hills District Council

£20,000 Gloucester City Council Harrogate Borough Council Warwick District Council Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council North East Derbyshire District Council Gedling Borough Council Ashfield District Council Cheltenham Borough Council

Source: Department of Communities and Local Government

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