A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Rutland puts in place local flood relief

We've launched a local flood relief scheme that offers financial support to Rutland households affected by the recent flooding.

Image
A red and white graphic displaying the words Apply for local flood relief
Image
A red and white graphic displaying the words Apply for local flood relief

Rutland County Council has launched a local flood relief scheme that offers financial support to Rutland households affected by the recent flooding.

The scheme offers a 100% Council Tax discount for up to three months for households that were forced to leave their home because flooding made the property unlivable.

The property affected must be your main place of residence. Empty homes, second homes and holiday lets are not eligible. We are already contacting households known to have been affected by the flooding, so they can submit information and evidence to apply for a Council Tax discount.

If you’re not already in touch with us about flooding inside your property and would like to apply for this Council Tax discount, please complete the application form on our website.

"Sadly, our region has once again been hit by extremely high levels of water in a short amount of time. Between 75% and 100% of expected rainfall for January was seen within the first week of the month – the majority of which was over just two days. This heavy rainfall followed previous wet months and therefore unfortunately our region has been hit hard by flooding.

It continues to be clear that higher water levels are becoming more common and as such are having a greater impact on our communities.

We have joined local partners to lobby the Government for funding support, however it currently looks unlikely that Rutland will hit the Government’s threshold to unlock the funding. As a council we have therefore put in place the Local Flood Relief scheme in order to help residents that have been hit the hardest by the floods. This is support that we have put in place in previous incidents and therefore something that we are looking to make a permanent action as part of our ongoing Flood Risk Management Strategy.

We know how concerned residents are about flooding and are doing all we can to reduce the risk of floods, as well as the impact of flooding throughout Rutland. We would like to emphasise that work to support Rutland’s Section 19 investigation has been ongoing throughout the last year and will now be helped by the recruitment of a dedicated Flood Officer for the County. We’ve also been working hard to inspect and clear 4,000 drains and gullies along our roads since October. A review of our Local Flood Risk Management Strategy will be completed by the Spring.

Section 19 investigations are extensive and take time to complete. When work began after the unprecedented impact of Storms Henk and Babet, we explained that this process would take well over a year. Experts with the specialist knowledge needed to undertake the work have been in high demand because so much of the country was flooded last winter – such is the impact that climate change is having on communities everywhere.

Latest figures show that around 800 homes and businesses within Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland were flooded during this latest incident, devastating those affected both emotionally and financially. As the clean up continues we would like to thank residents, emergency service workers, council staff and volunteers for their ongoing hard work in keeping residents safe and now getting communities back on their feet."

Councillor Christine Wise, Cabinet Member for Transport, Environment and Communities

We would like to urge residents to please keep using the online reporting system for any future flooding reports.

Our website also has further information about how to prepare for a flood, what to do if you are flooded and steps to take afterwards.

News flood relief - Link - Apply for local flood relief
Report flooding - Link - Flood report form
Flooding advice - Link - Information and advice