Tax Relief For Flood Victims

Flood-hit properties given tax relief amid fresh weather warnings.

17:02 09 December 2015

Some 5,000 homes and businesses in Lancashire and Cumbria are to be given tax relief after being hit by flood.

 

Storm Desmond ravaged northern England, parts of Northern Ireland, north Wales, and southern Scotland last weekend. More bad weather is to be expected and one severe flood warning remains in place for the River Wyre in Lancashire.

 

The decision to give tax relief was made during a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee; chaired by Communities Secretary Greg Clark.

 

"If you have to move out of your home or your business is disturbed you won't have to pay business rates or council tax until back trading or back in your home," he said.

 

Speaking about his meeting with the insurers on Tuesday morning, he said that there is a "cast iron guarantee that they stand ready and have the capacity to respond straight away to their customers."

 

In other developments, about 1,000 Cumbria homes are still without power and as of Monday, up to 42,000 homes in Lancaster lost power for the second time after a substation was damaged by flooding. 18,000 homes are now being powered by sixty-three generators.