More financial support available for people affected by floods

flood barrier York residents and businesses are being reminded that they could receive up to £5,000 to support the resistance and resilience of their property as part of a national package of financial support available.

The Government is providing the funding to enable local authorities to provide grants of up to £5,000 to homeowners and businesses that have been flooded as a result of Storm Desmond and Storm Eva to help fund additional flood resilience or resistance measures for their properties.

The resilience grant will enable those who have been flooded to better prepare their homes for future flood events, both to prevent flood water from entering the property and to speed the recovery if it does.

People who think they may be eligible for a grant needs to register their interest by emailing: floodresiliencegrant@york.gov.uk or calling 01904 552300.

They will then be sent:

information on steps needed to access funds
flood resilience grant application form
flood resilience grant application guidance notes
frequently asked questions

More information about the grants is available at www.york.gov.uk/FloodResilienceGrants

The update from the Two Ridings foundation, which is allocating the grants from the York Flood Appeal, has still not appeared on their web site .

The organisation promised that it would be published earlier in the week.

York Floods Update – Disaster Fund says 100 grants handed over

Appeal now paying out £200 per victim

The administrators of the £500,000 York (flood) Disaster Fund have moved to clarify how their funding is being used.

They are right to do so.

A couple of days ago the York Council claimed that only £18,000, of the £500,000 already raised, had actually found its way to victims.

The average pay-out was only £300.

Now the Two Ridings Community Foundation says that 100 grants have been issued.

416 homes together with 157 businesses were flooded in December.

According to the Foundation, the initial immediate support awards available for household’s subject to flooding, are:

All households affected by flooding will receive a £200 award
Any household in hardship can apply for a further award of £500 to cover replacement of essential items, excess fuel bills and other costs associated with their homes being flooded
After that, any household can apply for further needs but it will be assessed on a case by case basis

A second phase of grants is planned.

The Foundation says, “We will make available individual grants for households whose income has been affected over a long term period and households who have continued to experience increased household expense due to relocation resulting from the flood”.

Who can apply?

Individuals or families whose properties and contents have been damaged by flooding or who are suffering other hardship as a result of the flooding.
“We would not normally fund businesses but we may consider small business owners or employees facing hardship due to lost work or income because of storm or flood. The fund is not designed to replace income but we may be able to consider cases of hardship”.
Voluntary and community groups, charities and other not for profit organisations that may have experienced loss due to flooding or may be experiencing an increase in demand for services as a result of providing support to individuals affected.

Applications can be made online via www.trcf.org.uk or www.yorkdisasterfund.org.uk

The Foundation is promising to provide an update report early next week on how the Fund is being used.

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Floods update – last minute report considered by Council’s Executive

“You’r on your own!”

It appears that the Council’s senior Councillors were finally shamed into receiving a report on the recent flooding at their meeting today.

The report (which can be read by clicking here) was delayed to the point where it would be virtually impossible for any resident to know about it before the meeting started.

Much less chance that anyone would have the opportunity to register to speak on the item.

The report seeks only to approve the terms of reference of the promised “Inquiry”.

The Inquiry could take over 6 months to complete so the hope and expectation had been that the Councils own responsibilities – including communications and recovery operations – would by now have been subject to an internal review.

It appears not.

Floods update – Environment Agency publishes key Foss river level graph

What really happened

The Environment Agency has published the most comprehensive information of how river levels on the Foss rose during the evening of the 26th December.

Click to access

The information is likely to form a key consideration when the independent inquiry finally gets underway.

The Agency has yet to provide a convincing explanation of why some of its river level gauges failed – even before the telecoms outage occurred.

York Council admits only about 274 residents of flooded homes have received £500 cash help so far

£1 million Floods Disaster Fund pays out only £18,900 to 46 applicants

The York Council has released details of what it claims are the compensation and recovery payments it has made to the victims of the recent flooding.

The Council fails to say how many claims are in the pipeline or explain why some residents – who are apparently entitled to the £500 emergency payment – have still not received any compensation.

The Council has still not moved to clear the confusion about whether one of the most significant events in the City’s recent history will actually be discussed by senior Councillors at their Executive meeting on Thursday. The issue has not so far been added the meeting agenda

The Councils figures,

Financial support paid:
• £137,000 recovery grant paid to 274 residents (with a one-off payment of £500)
• Council Tax exemptions totalling £118,200 for 351 properties directly affected by flooding
• York’s Disaster Fund has paid out £18,900 to all 46 applicants
• Business Rates exemptions totalling £600,000 for 115 businesses directly affected by flooding
• £78,500 resilience grants paid to 38 eligible businesses.

Financial support still available:
For residents:
• York residents whose homes have been internally flooded are entitled to a £500 one-off payment via City of York Council to help support the clean-up process from Government grants.
• Residents whose homes have been flooded internally are entitled to a Council Tax exemption from 27 December 2015-31 March 2016 as a minimum. Extensions may apply where residents cannot return to their property beyond that time.
• Affected York residents on low incomes and who are not adequately insured may be eligible for help from York Disaster Fund, administered by the Two Ridings Community Foundation (TRCF) charity. TRCF launched the York Flood Appeal to increase donations to the fund.

For businesses:
• The new Business Flood Recovery Fund is expected to be in place this week with grants of between £5,000 and £100,000 available. Call 0113 348 1818 or email businessgrowth@the-lep.com to find out more.
• Up to £2,500 is available for businesses affected by the floods through the Flood Recovery Fund for businesses. Email business@makeityork.com or phone 01904 554455to make a claim.
• Businesses which were flooded can apply for an exemption to their Business Rates. Please contact the business rates team at business.rates@york.gov.uk or phone 01904 551140
• Up to £5,000 in Future Flood Prevention Funds is available for commercial property owners/people responsible for maintaining the fabric of a property that has been flooded to help prevent future flood damage. To apply, email business@makeityork.com or call 01904 554455.

For more information, please go to www.york.gov.uk/flood

NB. The Councils “Goose Management Scrutiny Review Task Group” will however be meeting tomorrow. It is unclear whether any “loss of habitat” claims have been submitted by flood affected geese.

York Flood update – Environment Agency announces dates of meetings with victims

The Environment Agency has announced a series of drop-in meetings in York for next month to help people learn more about flooding.

Rather than hosting a large, public meeting, the idea is that smaller, “one-on-one” sessions will allow people to ask bespoke questions about how the city manages rising waters.

Experts will be on hand to answer ANY questions, including why the controversial decision was taken to raise the Foss Barrier during the Boxing Day floods.

Details of meetings:

2nd February, 3 to 8 PM at Southlands Methodist Church, Bishopthorpe Road, York YO23 1NX.
4th February, 3 to 6:30 PM at New Earswick Folk Hall, Hawthorn Terrace, York, YO32 4AQ
8th February, 3 to 7:30 PM at St Aelred’s Community Centre, 216 Fifth Ave, York, YO31 0PN.
9th February, 3 to 8 PM at National Centre for Early Music, St Margaret’s Church, Walmgate, York, YO1 9TL.
10th February, 3 to 8 PM at York Saint John University, Lord Mayor’s Walk, York, YO31 7EX.

We can only hope that the Agency has learned a few communications lessons.

They should invite written questions and make sure that the answers are published “on line” before any meetings take place.

Time at the meetings can then be concentrated on dealing with follow up questions and matters of outstanding concern.

York Council indecision on new Chief Executive?

Indecision York seems likely to be without a permanent replacement for its Chief Executive for at least another 6 months.

Papers published for a meeting taking place on 1^st February reveal that a review of the Council’s management structure, commissioned last June, has apparently still not been concluded.

The report blames ongoing financial pressures for the delays, although the Chief Executives post has been filled on a temporary basis (at full salary) for over 6 months.

It now appears that the report on a new structure may now be available in March. A £150,000 a year saving on salary costs is being achieved from 1^st April by deleting a post dealing with “transformation and change”

Staff working in the Chief Executives Department are being transferred to other management groups suggesting that the Council may be thinking of abolishing the role of Chief Executive altogether.

The Council will, however, now move to appoint a permanent Director of Public Health on a salary of around £100,000.

The Council will also make a permanent appointment to the post of “City and Environmental Services”. Essentially this is the role formerly held by Bill Woolley who retired over three years ago. It is responsible for planning and transport policy. The post will also attract a pay level of around £100,000 pa. The Council says that to minimise recruitment costs this post will be “advertised externally on City of York Council Jobs Website and promoted through the Council social media channels”. Minimal advertising of vacancies is usually a tactic that a Council adopts when it has “someone in mind” for the post.

Recent events – including the Councils response to the flooding crisis – suggest that there is a lack of effective leadership in the authority. Taking over 12 months to find a permanent appointment for the post which is responsible for driving the administrative side of the Council is, at best, complacent and at worst negligent.

The York Council is now desperately short of experienced management capacity.

Councillors need to act quickly and decisively to fill the void.

Car park charges set to be frozen in York

Car park charges look set to be frozen across York to “help local businesses bounce back after the Boxing Day floods”.

Leaders of the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Executive have announced plans to freeze charges in council-run car parks as part of next month’s 2016/17 Budget.

This means prices will be unchanged for the next 12 months at car parks including Castle, Foss Bank, Marygate, Monk Bar, Piccadilly, and St George’s Field.

Recent trends under Labour – click to enlarge

The freeze will be the first since the Council was led by the LibDems in the period up to 2011.

Car parking charges were held in check by that administration for a record seven years.

When Labour came to power, they introduced large increases. Over their four years in office, some charges nearly doubled.

In the end, the law of diminishing returns meant that the Councils parking income actually fell.

Although the freeze is likely to be generally welcomed, it fails to address immediate concerns.

We suggested a few days ago that the Council should reduce the charges at its Foss Bank “shoppers” car park at least until the end of March.

Unfortunately this idea has not been followed up.

Instead the City of York Council has confirmed that it will contribute £50,000 to a new UK-wide campaign to promote York. Tourism bosses in the city say this will be their biggest ever marketing campaign as work continues to promote York following the floods.
(more…)

Independent chair sought for flood inquiry

City of York Council is inviting applications from appropriately qualified individuals to independently chair an inquiry into the recent flooding in York.

It is doing so without any kind of debate in its democratic system (see next story).

Someone has apparently also decided what the terms of reference of the inquiry will be. Again there has been no opportunity for residents to have any input.

The Council say, “The inquiry was called by the council’s leadership earlier this month to look at how the city coped with the recent floods. The inquiry will be chaired by an independent person.

It is expected that representatives from key organisations will be asked to give their account of the floods to the inquiry team but that there will be a wider call for evidence from those who can assist the inquiry.

The criteria for the Independent Chair is to:

Provide leadership and direction to enable the effective participation in the Inquiry of those able to give information of value to it
Lead and conduct the inquiry in accordance with its terms of reference and within an agreed time frame
Produce, in conjunction with the inquiry team, a report which is thorough, comprehensive and accurate and which can be made publicly available.
Skills/experience required, are:
The successful candidate will need to demonstrate the following competencies:
The ability to chair and lead an inquiry team made up of influential people
The ability to command the confidence of councillors, public and private sector agencies those in the voluntary sector and the public of York
A highly skilled public communicator on high-profile and sensitive issues
Strong analytical skills and the capacity to examine issues in an impartial way using a range of methods to engage with those able to give information of value to the inquiry
An outstanding and relevant career track record

How to apply:

The council has already received applications of interest for the role. Individuals who wish to register their interest in being on the inquiry panel, or chair, can do so by the closing date of Friday 12 February, by:

– visiting www.york.gov.uk/floodsinquiry

– calling 01904 551550

– Applications by way of a CV and supporting statement can also be sent to: Chief Executive’s Office, City of York Council, West Offices, Station Rise, York YO1 6GA.

About the Inquiry:

Terms of Reference for the review of the floods in York have also been established. To read these visit: www.york.gov.uk/floodsinquiry

What happens next?

The council will provide administrative support and cover reasonably incurred costs. The independent Chair will report to a meeting of the Full Council and share information with the relevant agencies.

The outcome of the inquiry will be to develop an action plan in response to the recommendations”.

York Council defends flood funding policies

Arial photo of York flooding In the wake of growing concerns about the transparency of the York Floods Disaster Fund allocation processes, the York Council has issued a statement summarising what other financial assistance is available for victims.

The Council statement reads,

“York residents and businesses could receive up to £5,000 to support the resistance and resilience of their property as part of a package of financial support available.

In addition to the grant, the council is continuing to provide a raft of financial support citywide to residents and businesses.

To date, the council has helped to provide:

£137,000 recovery grant to 274 residents (with a one-off payment of £500)
Ensured 342 properties directly affected by flooding will be exempt from paying council tax, to a total value of£114,173.91
92 businesses directly affected by flooding will be exempt from paying business rates, to a total value of £416,022.11
paid out £72,000 in grants to businesses affected.

If residents or businesses would like support to talk through these options face-to-face, help is available at the council’s West Offices, Station Rise during offices hours.

Other financial support includes:
(more…)

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