John Healey has announced that the Government is going to apply for money from the European Union to help communities recover from the recent flooding. The floods minister said the Government intended to apply for funding from the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF). The fund was set up to help member states meet the huge financial costs of dealing with natural disasters. For a fund application to be successful, the total amount of damage caused by disaster has to be more than £2.2bn. ‘We have already announced more than £46m of support for flood-hit areas, and there will be more support through the special Bellwin scheme,' said Mr Healey. ‘We are committed to doing everything we can to help life return to normal as quickly as possible in local communities, and believe this application can play a part in this. ‘A successful EU application would be a useful addition to the package of support we are already putting in place. This European bid is, however, only one part of our efforts to support flood-hit communities.' Chairman of Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS), Cllr Geoffrey Theobald, has warned flood victims to beware of rogue traders. ‘Experience from previous natural disasters, including other flooding incidents, show that rogue traders and cowboy builders will seize any opportunity to profit from the desperation and hardship of others. ‘Councils are committed to putting local people first and will not hesitate to bring swift action against anyone who tries to swindle residents affected by the floods.' Worcestershire CC has urged residents who have lost household possessions to log on to the Internet. The website www.freecycle.org allows people to pass on furniture, electrical items and other unwanted goods for free.
