Government will NOT help Wakefield with clean-up costs after Storm Ciara floods and Speedibake fire

The government will not help to pay for any of the clean-up costs incurred by the recent fire and flooding in Wakefield.
Homes in Horbury Bridge were hit by flooding earlier this month.Homes in Horbury Bridge were hit by flooding earlier this month.
Homes in Horbury Bridge were hit by flooding earlier this month.

The district was battered by Storm Ciara last weekend, with homes and businesses around Horbury Bridge submerged underwater.

It came just a week after a huge blaze at Wakefield's Speedibake factory forced neighbours out of their homes and covering the city centre in a blanket of smoke.

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On both occasions council staff voluntarily worked day and night to help emergency crews deal with the incidents.

Council staff helped emergency crews with the fallout from both incidents.Council staff helped emergency crews with the fallout from both incidents.
Council staff helped emergency crews with the fallout from both incidents.

But while Wakefield Council is still counting the financial cost of the chaos, it's been revealed that the government will not step in to help.

Local authorities can only claim money back for emergency clean-ups if the bill reaches a particular threshold.

Speaking at a scrutiny meeting on Monday, the council's chief finance officer Neil Warren said: "We don't know the exact figure yet. We will in the next couple of weeks.

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"But we'd have to spend £514,000 before we could make a claim and we won't get anywhere near that.

"In 2015, when I worked at Leeds (City Council) it was severely affected by flooding, and it didn't get any money back.

"The government's expectation is for local authorities to use their general reserves for this kind of thing, before they apply for funding.

Although this weekend's Storm Dennis brought less disruption to Wakefield than Storm Ciara before it, council workers had to deal with fallen trees and blocked drains, while keeping an eye on the rising river levels.

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On Friday, the council said it was using "all of its available resources" to help mitigate the effects of the weather.

Pontefract councillor David Jones said: "I think it's important we make clear that when these things happen, there is an impact and the local authority has to plan for them."

Local Democracy Reporting Service