Comment by Leader of Leeds City Council re government support for homes and businesses affected by flooding

Councillor Judith Blake, leader of Leeds City Council said:

“We welcome the emergency funding package announced by the government today, which will provide much needed support to residents and businesses affected by the flooding in Leeds and help them to get back on their feet.

“We were pleased that Greg Clark responded to our invitation to visit Leeds today. We thought it was important that he saw for himself the devastation caused by this flooding event. Our resounding message continues to be that Leeds urgently needs further significant investment to ensure that we have the best possible comprehensive flood defences in place – defences appropriate for the size and importance of this city.

“We are yet to receive formal details about how this funding will be managed, and will continue to assess the impact and scale of need on affected residents and businesses. We will be convening a joint task group to make a full assessment of further support required as they seek to rebuild. We are also in close contact with other local authorities in the region and will be working with them to ensure that we support one another in the aftermath of this and any further events.

"We are prepared for the bad weather forecast over the next 24 hours and have made appropriate arrangements across the city.

“I would like to thank everyone again for their continuing efforts in dealing with this emergency, and also to praise the sense of community spirit from all those people who have helped. This really has reinforced my sense of pride in our great city.”

ENDS

Leeds City Council press office (0113) 395 0244