Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she plans to activate the (a) Bellwin scheme and b) Flood Recovery Framework following Storm Darragh; and whether there is a deadline by which a decision must be made.

My thoughts remain with householders and business owners impacted by flooding after Storm Darragh at the start of December last year, flooding is a devastating experience for all those affected.

The government is ready to consider local authority requests for Bellwin Scheme support. This can reimburse immediate eligible response costs for authorities affected by the recent storms, including Storm Darragh. Guidance is published online which sets out the procedures for the scheme.

Government recovery support in the aftermath of flooding is only provided in exceptional circumstances. The scale of impacts after Storm Darragh was not sufficiently significant for the Flood Recovery Framework to be activated in any area. For comparison, when the Framework was activated following Storms Babet in October 2023 and Henk in January 2024, together over 8,500 homes and businesses were impacted across England.