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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Bellwin scheme for supporting local authorities where homes are lost to coastal erosion during a single storm event.

For qualifying incidents, the Bellwin scheme can be used to reimburse local authorities for the emergency actions taken in the immediate aftermath of a local emergency or disaster. For displaced householders, this can include the provision of temporary accommodation but it would not include the restoration or rebuilding of properties. As per the published guidance, eligible costs under the scheme are limited to immediate uninsurable costs that fall in the response phase of an incident. This guidance can be found on gov.uk here.