The Council will soon be visiting businesses that were flooded during the storms of January and February to see if they are eligible for a range of reliefs and cash from central government.
Fifteen businesses on the islands are believed to have been affected, according to information received by Council staff. The Council will be contacting those businesses in the coming days to see if they are eligible for support including business tax discounts, access to cash for clean up and business interruption and grants to enable works to prevent further flood damage.
Any business that was flooded during the January or February storms that are not contacted should get in touch with David Senior (Environment and Climate Change Officer) at the Council at dsenior@scilly.gov.uk or call the One Stop Shop on 01720 424000.
The full details of the support available can be downloaded from here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/flood-support-schemes-funding... and are summarised below:
1. Council Tax Discount
Householders, whose house has been affected by the severe weather, can apply to the Council for a three month discount from their council tax.
Qualifying criteria
- Flooding must have occurred between 1 December 2013 and 31 March 2014 You can only make one claim per property affected
- The property has been flooded in whole or in part as a result of adverse weather conditions
- The property was the sole or main residence of the householder on the day of the flood
- As a result of the flooding the householder was adversely affected
How to apply
To establish whether a property qualifies for a discount due to flooding we need the following information:
- Name and address of the property affected
- Date the flooding occurred
- Details of how the property was affected by the flood
- Supporting evidence to help us with your application such as pictures, insurance excess payable etc
Please send details to 'enquiries@scilly.gov.uk' marked 'Flood Support - Council Tax' or drop in your details to the Town Hall reception
2. Business rate relief
Businesses, affected by the severe weather, between 1 December 2013 and 31 March 2014, are able to apply to - the Council for a 100% business rate relief for three months.
Qualifying criteria
100% rate relief will be awarded for those properties which meet the following criteria:
- Flooding must have occurred between 1 December 2013 and 31 March 2014. You can only make one claim per - property affected
- The property has been flooded in whole or in part as a result of adverse weather conditions
- On the day of the flooding the property was occupied and subject to occupied business rates
- As a result of the flooding the business activity undertaken at the property was adversely affected
- The rateable value of the property on the day of the flooding was less than £10 million
How to apply
To establish whether a business qualifies for business rate relief we need the following information:
- Name and address of the property affected
- Date the flooding occurred
- Details of how the property was affected by the flood
- Supporting evidence to help us with your application
Please send details to 'enquiries@scilly.gov.uk' marked 'Flood Support - Business Relief' or drop in your details to the Town Hall reception
3. Repair and Renew Grant
The Government has announced new 'repair and renew' grants of up to £5,000. The grants are to help households and businesses pay for repairs, over and above what would normally be covered by insurance, which improves a property's ability to withstand future flooding. The grants will not cover standard repairs or provide compensation. Further details and application forms can be obtained by contacting David Senior at the Council at dsenior@scilly.gov.uk or call the One Stop Shop on 01720 424000
4. Business Support Scheme
The Government has announced a new Business Support Scheme for small and medium sized business premises, physically affected by coastal and inland flooding. Eligible businesses will be able to claim for costs, initially up to £2,500, which could include: immediate clean up costs and repair, replacement of stock or equipment, additional staff costs, structural surveys and non-recoverable insurance excess. Further details and application forms can be obtained by contacting David Senior at the Council at dsenior@scilly.gov.uk or call the One Stop Shop on 01720 424000.