Government insists it is working to ensure insurance cover is available for flood-risk homes
MINISTERS insist they are working 'at a very fast tempo' to ensure flood-risk households in Gloucestershire can get insurance cover.
Under proposals put forward by the industry, every household in Gloucestershire faces having to pay £8 on their insurance to create a pot of money to cover flooding claims.
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Tewkesbury flooding
But while the insurance fund is being built up, it is understood the industry want the Government to step in to provide a temporary overdraft to cover any shortfall if there were 2007-style floods in the early years of the scheme.
And it is this public spending commitment which appears to be the current stumbling block.
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Gloucestershire county councillor Vernon Smith (C, Tewkesbury Newtown) had his Tewkesbury town centre home flooded in 2007.
He said: "I think it's imperative both sides get an agreement as soon as possible. The Government has a duty to protect people's homes and property from flooding.
"People's homes can flood for all sorts of reasons so surely the sensible way forward is for everyone to take on the liability so everyone has the means to claim."
The clock is ticking to find a replacement of an existing insurance arrangement – known as the Statement of Principles – which ends in June.
Homeowners could find it difficult to get mortgages or sell their properties if agreement on providing a future safety net cannot be reached.
The solution being put forward by insurers to provide affordable cover is to top-slice all insurance premiums to create a new funding pot to cover flooding claims – the so-called Flood Re model.
Yesterday Environment Minister Richard Benyon robustly defended the Government's position, saying efforts were being made.
He told MPs: "We are working at a very fast tempo at the highest levels of Government to try to achieve an agreement which will massively improve on the statement of principles, which first does not cover every home and secondly contains nothing about affordability.
"We want a better system for the future. What we want is affordability to be brought into the new system.
"I am involved in those conversations at the highest levels and want to assure the House that we are working as hard as we can to find a solution.
"We want to make sure that what we are doing is fair to the taxpayer and fair to the person living in flood risk."
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