Floods minister: council tax exemptions announced

07:00 - 04-August-2008

FLOOD-hit families in East Yorkshire who still cannot live in their damaged homes will be exempt from paying council tax, under new funding arrangements announced today.

Floods Recovery Minister John Healey has said he is working with Hull City Council and East Riding Council on a funding package that will mean people who are still not back in their homes are not hit with council tax bills for those properties.

Hull City Council is expected to receive more than £400,000 to help people displaced by the floods, while East Riding Council will get more than £100,000.

As part of the Mail's Back Home campaign, we are raising awareness of the plight of those still not able to return to their home more than a year after they were flooded.

At the end of July, the number stood at more than 1,400 across Hull and the East Riding.

Mr Healey is expected to finalise the funding over the next few weeks and aims to make the payments to both councils, along with 20 other local authorities next month.

Households unable to live in their own homes because of flood damage have been exempt from council tax since last summer – but these exemptions are only allowed by law for one year.

In June Mr Healey wrote to councils reminding them they also have the power to give discretionary discounts of up to 100 per cent, so he urged them to do so and said the Government would cover the cost for this so other local council taxpayers are not unfairly affected.

Mr Healey said: “Everyone is pulling out all the stops to get people back in their homes and the pace of progress is getting quicker and quicker.

“A quarter of those out in June were back home in July with the numbers of those living in caravans halved in the same period.

“But for those worst hit it will take more time. I don't want them paying council tax for homes they can't live in.

“That's why I reminded councils that they have the discretion to grant council tax discounts to their flood-hit residents still out of their homes.”