'It's a scandal' as Yorkshire's Storm Ciara flood victims are told they can't claim twice for funding to protect their homes

Infrastructure in Calderdale is still being repaired a year on from Storm Ciara, which left some 1,500 homes and businesses flooded in the West Yorkshire borough and caused severe disruption around the country.

The flooding was the second worst to hit the Calder Valley in recent years after the Boxing Day floods of 2015, but since February 9 last year the area has faced 16 flood alerts and warnings as well as a near miss in the form of last month's Storm Christoph.

Scott Patient, Labour-run Calderdale council's Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Resilience, said the overall cost of flooding to the authority was in the millions of pounds but that central government support was only available in the worst cases.

He told The Yorkshire Post: "It's an incredible amount of money. We had Storm Ciara and Eva [in 2015] and we were able to get some money off the back of [government emergency response committee] COBRA being called and emergency national money but when it's these near-miss events we don't necessarily get that compensation.

"The cost of flooding is millions and millions of pounds in terms of repaired assets. With landslides alone, the technical expertise comes to thousands and thousand of pounds."

A £5,000 Property Flood Resilience (PFR) grant scheme is available to homes and businesses affected by flooding, paying to make a property more resilient to future flooding such as putting in flood doors and raising electrics from ground level.

But Coun Patient said he believed more than 100 affected households in Calderdale would not be able to get the funds this time as they already claimed on the scheme after the 2015 Boxing Day floods.

He said the council had raised the issue with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as many of the affected householders may still need more protection if the original work wasn't sufficient or if the house had seen modifications.

"Those people that haven't had them before will get them or the majority have got them but those in instances where that property has had it before sadly won't. It's a scandal really and unfortunately us as the local authority are the person that has to deliver the bad news.

"I think it's likely that there's at least a number of people out there that don't have the sort of protection that they should have. This isn't a cash grab, this is something that specifically has to be spent for property level protection. So, I don't think for a minute it's an issue about people just wanting to grab money, it's actually just about that resilience."

Andrew Entwistle, lead flood warden for Hebden Bridge, said of the Defra decision: "I know government have got to limit the funds but it is stupid. It completely swamps any defence you put in. What can you do when the water comes up through the floor?"

He added that Storm Ciara was "below the 2015 floods but only just". He said: "In some areas it was not quite as bad and in other areas it was worse, that is the nature of this valley.

"There were some houses where it had taken them years to become habitable again. Most were just completing their repairs from Storm Ciara when we got the amber warning [for Storm Christoph].

"You don't repair homes overnight. It is devastating, it is not just water, it is the sludge. One lady said to me, it is not just the money, it is having to start all over again. You can't help but feel sorry for people. For a lot of residents it is that fear that they live with. It is raw, the tension around here."

The Government says the PFR grant is a one-off contribution designed to give homes and businesses the tools to better manage the impact that flooding has on their property and their lives, not a compensation package each time flooding takes place.

Officials say that the use of PFR does not provide a guarantee that a property will never experience a flood but it reduces the chance of and/or level of damage and the consequential disruption.

A Defra spokesman said: “Flooding has a devastating impact on people’s lives. Our thoughts are with those affected, and the Environment Agency continues to work closely with partners supporting affected communities in Yorkshire and taking action to reduce the potential impacts of flooding.

“Since 2015, we’ve invested more in flood defences for Yorkshire than any other region – with £496 million being spent to better protect more than 66,000 properties. Looking ahead, we are investing a record £5.2 billion over six years in 2,000 new flood defences, and the Environment Agency is working with local representatives in Yorkshire on allocations.”

Storm Ciara caused Calderdale’s fourth major flood in just eight years and brought 10 miles of damage across the borough. More than a third of the homes and over half of the businesses that flooded in England last winter were in the Calder Valley.

Coun Patient said: “But through all the fear, distress and expense of constantly being on alert, Calderdale’s kindness, resilience and community spirit always shine through. 2020 was an especially hard year because of COVID-19 straight after flooding, but joint work has continued on the recovery and future resilience.

“As we approach the one-year anniversary of our latest major flood, we want to say a big thank you to everyone in our communities for their continued support to reduce flood risk and tackle the climate emergency.”

The direct cost of clear-up after Calderdale's two biggest floods in 2015 and 2020 was around £2m, though the Government reimbursed the council for £1.4m. This does not include the cost of repairs to buildings and infrastructure such as roads and bridges which were necessary afterwards.

Adrian Gill, area flood risk manager at the Environment Agency said: “Storm Ciara had a devastating impact on many people, homes and businesses across Calderdale. It was the second highest recorded level on the River Calder, second only to Boxing Day 2015.

"However the climate emergency means that we cannot always prevent or build our way out of an incident. That’s why we’re working to help households, businesses and communities be better prepared and more resilient to flooding.

“Since this flood, some great progress has been made to reduce flood risk, with the £41 million Mytholmroyd Flood Alleviation Scheme better protecting 400 homes and businesses in Mytholmroyd, Brearley and Luddenden Foot, including during Storm Christoph last month.

“Early works have started in Hebden Bridge and other projects continue to develop at Brighouse, Sowerby Bridge, Copley Village and Walsden. These projects are only part of the solution to reduce flood risk across the Calder Valley.

"We continue to work in partnership with Calderdale Council, Yorkshire Water, other partners and communities to develop a catchment-wide approach to reduce flood risk, including the use of natural flood management techniques and reservoir storage.”