£3,000 grants available to help businesses affected by Wyre Forest flooding

Financial support is being offered through a support service set up in partnership with local councils.

The move has been welcomed by councillor John Campion, leader of Wyre Forest District Council, who said the authority had 'worked hard' to help traders in the Kidderminster, Stourport and Bewdley area.

Wyre Forest District Council is among members of the Worcestershire Business Central group which also includes Worcestershrie County Council, West Mercia Police, Public Health England, Severn Trent, the West Midlands Ambulance Service and among others, the Environment Agency.

However, the district was not included in an earlier pot of cash from central government made available to help hard-pressed companies affected by the recent storms and torrential downpours.

Now it has been announced that people in the area could benefit from grants of up to £3,000 awarded from funds supplied by central government and supplemented by a total of £200,000 from Worcestershire County Council.

Applications are being determined on a priority basis with businesses that have had water in their premises placed at the top of the list.

Those indirectly affected by flooding of local roads will be given level two priority.

The worst affected can apply for up to £3,000.

There will also be up to £1,500 on offer to others but applications for funding have to be made before March 21.

Businesses will be able to apply to their local district council for business rate relief for a period of three months and from April 1 for a non-means tested grant of up to £5,000 will be open to householders and businesses to pay for repairs that will improve a property's ability to withstand flooding in the future.