Shropshire Council not eligible for emergency flood funding

Shropshire Council says it has not spent enough on clearing up flood damage in the last year to apply for emergency funding.

The authority said it had been told by the government it had not met a £500,000 threshold up to April 2022 to get funding from the Bellwin scheme.

The Conservative-run council received funding in 2020 when it spent more than £521,000 on flood repairs.

Floods minister Rebecca Pow said it had not applied for the scheme this year.

The council said it was still collating figures for flood damage repairs up to April 2022, but it would be below £500,000.

The Bellwin scheme was activated for Shropshire and other areas hit by Storm Dennis in February 2020.

In reply to a letter from Shrewsbury and Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski about flooding in the town, Ms Pow added she was "sorry to see the recent impacts on residents and businesses in Shrewsbury".

Councils applied to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) which manages the Bellwin funding and assesses applications using data provided by local authorities, she said.

The county saw flooding this year when the River Severn broke its banks following storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin.

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