Crewe & Nantwich MP Dr Kieran Mullan is urging Cheshire East Council to speed up processes by which Flood Victims can access emergency funds.
Since last Autumn, the Government has made grants of between £500 - £5,000 available for those residents affected by the flood events of the past six months, but these funds can only be accessed via the Local Authority.
Dr Mullan said: “I urge Cheshire East to make this money available to residents. “The Government has acted to support people affected by flooding but unless and until Cheshire East establish a process for residents, they can’t get at it. It is very frustrating for residents to see in the press that money is available but find that they have no way of accessing it. I have asked Cheshire East to prioritise this.”
In October (2019) areas across the Borough experienced significant flood damage caused by a combination of super-saturated farmland, high water tables (after flooding incidents in July) and intense periods of very high rainfall (in some cases, over a month of rain falling in just a few days).
Poynton and Bollington experienced their third major flood incidents last October whilst the River Weaver flooded its banks in Nantwich inundating homes and businesses. Rural areas have been similarly affected with some individual homes inundated in October, only now receiving support from flood and drainage agencies and access along rural lanes now being restored after over six months.
Other Local Authorities have already set up funding allocation processes and it is to be hoped that Cheshire East Council follows their example very soon.