11.11.19
Bellwin scheme activated by Government to support local communities hit by recent flooding
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has initiated the government’s emergency Bellwin scheme to compensate eligible local authorities for the qualifying immediate costs they incur as part of their response to the flooding in Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.
Bellwin is a scheme for emergency financial assistance to which aids local authorities in meeting uninsurable costs they are faced with when dealing with the aftermath of an emergency in their area. Each local authority, when a scheme is activated, can claim for eligible costs above a set threshold. Bellwin is regularly activated in times of emergency and made financial assistance available to local authorities in Wainfleet and Richmondshire earlier this year, following the collapse of Whaley Bridge dam.
Under the scheme local authorities can apply to have 100% of the eligible costs, above a threshold, reimbursed by the government. This could be for items such as rest centres, temporary accommodation and staff overtime.
MHCLG’s Resilience and Emergency (RED) is supporting local authorities and Local Resilience Forums as they work around the clock on the emergency response and support communities affected by the flooding.
The Environment Agency continue to monitor the flood risk and are working closely with Police, Fire and Rescue, local authorities and partners to reduce the risk of flooding and keep communities safe. On the ground, Environment Agency field teams will continue to operate flood storage areas and pump away flood water.