Rutland County Council has launched a local flood relief scheme that offers financial assistance to households affected by storms Babet and Henk.

The two recent winter storms caused widespread disruption across the UK and led to roads and homes being flooded in Rutland.  

Details of a national flood relief scheme for areas affected by Storm Henk were announced by the UK Government on 6 January. To be eligible for national funding, local areas needed to have more than 50 homes flooded internally as a direct result of the storm.

Rutland did not meet the threshold set by Government, so no nationally funded support payments can be made to Rutland residents. 

In response to the absence of national funding, Rutland County Council has launched its own locally funded relief scheme for residents affected by Storm Babet or Storm Henk.

The Council's scheme offers a 100% Council Tax discount for up to three months for any families forced to leave their home because flooding from the storms made the property unliveable. The property affected must be the family's main place of residence and applications for funding must be made by 15 March 2024. 

Councillor Andrew Johnson, Deputy Leader of Rutland County Council and Cabinet Member for Finance, said: "Storms Babet and Henk caused damage and disruption to large parts of the UK, leaving lots of people in need of help due to flooding. The Government's threshold for national flood relief dealt Rutland a particularly poor hand. We can't access the funding that's available to many other areas, including our nearest neighbours in Leicestershire, because of an arbitrary requirement to have at least 50 homes affected.

"This is clearly wrong. National relief schemes for severe weather incidents should treat all areas equally and fairly. To make sure Rutland residents are not disadvantaged by this, we've introduced our own locally funded relief scheme for anyone forced to leave their home due to the recent storm flooding. We hope this will help families who are still getting back on their feet." 

Households already known to have been affected by Storm Henk flooding are being contacted directly by Rutland County Council, so they can submit information and evidence to apply for a Council Tax discount. 

Eligible properties must have been flooded internally between 16 and 26 October 2023 because of Storm Babet, or between 2 and 12 January 2024 because of Storm Henk, with flood water making the property unliveable for more than 48 hours. Second homes, empty homes and holiday lets are not eligible under the scheme. Business premises, flooded gardens, outbuildings and garages are also ineligible.

Anyone not already in touch with the Council about flooding inside their property should email [email protected] or call 01572 722 577 to apply for this Council Tax discount. Further information can also be found on the Council's website.

Find out about the Council's recent meeting about flood disruption here.