To approve expenditure and approach to delivering the Property Flood Resilience Recovery Support Scheme 2020 (‘PFRRSS’).

Severe weather has meant hardship for local residents and businesses. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (‘Defra’) has committed funding to the council in recognition that a significant number of the county’s household and businesses have been severely affected and to provide support through this grant scheme. The council will make payments in line with Defra’s guidance and based on a robust grant assessment criteria.

The grant is available to support eligible residents and businesses who experienced severe damage from the flooding event to become more resilient to the impacts of any further flooding incidents and reduce the length of time needed for recovery.

That:

(a)   The approach to delivering the Property Flood Resilience Recovery Support Scheme 2020 as set out in paragraphs 10-24 be approved; and

(b)  The Acting Assistant Director Highways & Transport / Head of Infrastructure Delivery and the Directorate Services Team Leader be authorised to approve grant awards to property owners following satisfactory appraisal of the applications received (up to a value of £5,000 each).

1.              Directly appointing a specialist contractor either through the Environment Agency’s National Property Flood Resilience Framework 2018-2022 Framework or in line with the council’s Procurement and Commissioning Strategy 2018. This could include carrying out: a Property Flood Survey; the Supply and Installation of Property Flood Resilience Measures; the Survey, Supply and Installation of Property Flood Resilience Measures; or a Managing Agent. This is not recommended due to the fact that it would serve to delay our implementation of the PFRRSS and not allow the council to implement arrangements quickly to enable those individuals impacted by flooding to claim Property Flood Resilience (‘PFR’) grants to coincide with their insurance claims and property repairs. Undertaking both surveys and flood resilience work may additionally cause issues of liability for the council.