Council administers nearly £170K in grants to flood hit households

Staff cleaning street with shovels

Nearly £170,000 of grants have been given to households which were flooded across the borough three weeks ago, with more to still come, say council leaders.

Rotherham Council has administered funds totalling £167K, which have been given to 167 households so far. This equates to £1,000 for each impacted household.

The funds, which have been directly paid by the council to residents in flood-hit homes, consist of:

• A £350 council grant

• A £150 grant from the £20K council contribution to the South Yorkshire Community Foundation appeal

• A £500 government grant.

The council processes all these grants ensuring the funding gets to the eligible residents. Householders have had this paid directly into their bank accounts where the council already has their details from council tax records.

Other households which have been impacted but have not yet received the grants because the council does not yet hold their bank details, are being contacted directly by council staff in the coming days to ensure they get what they are entitled to.

This follows extensive work by the council to identify those flooded householders who are entitled to the grants.

Council Leader, Cllr Chris Read said: “I saw with my own eyes the devastation caused by Storm Babet, with homes in Catcliffe particularly hard hit. This funding we hope will provide immediate financial relief to those impacted by hardship that has been caused by flooding.

“Over the last three weeks since the storm hit, causing damage to around 180 homes, we have had a fifth of our workforce out in the worst hit areas supporting our residents in the aftermath.

“We have been there supporting our residents through this crisis from the early hours of October 21st and we will continue to support them in the coming weeks and months.”

The financial support from the council was set up just days after the flooding hit with further support announced by the Government last week. This scheme is known as the Flood Recovery Framework, which is used in exceptional circumstances to help councils and communities following severe flooding.

Residents and businesses across the borough impacted by the flooding are eligible for this funding to help them recover from the impact of the flooding, after Saturday 21 October saw the River Rother reach its highest recorded level.

Households and businesses significantly affected by recent flooding also qualify for one hundred per cent council tax and business rates relief for at least three months.

Small-to-medium sized businesses are also eligible for up to £2,500 from the Business Recovery Grant to help them return quickly to business as usual. The council is now working with impacted businesses eligible for this grant.

Published: 21st November 2023