Council approves grants for flood-hit properties

FIFE cabinet committee councillors have approved the long-anticipated property flood resilience grant for homeowners and businesses.

The council will award up to £5,000 per applicant to help reduce the internal damage to properties as a result of flooding – which a committee report said will have “significant financial and mental benefit” to homeowners and reduce “down time” following flood events.

In February, councillors agreed to allocate £500,000 to help protect properties in Fife from the effects of flooding as part of the 2024/25 budget

Now, the full details have come to light and been approved.

In the last four years, Fife has experienced “a number of extreme weather events.”

According to committee reports, there have been approximately 1,300 reports of flooding to properties, businesses and roads across the kingdom in that time.

The council are already working to protect the properties in the housing stock, but now they are offering assistance for homes and businesses in the private sector.

“I’m pleased we’re actually getting this over the line,” said Jan Wincott, Fife’s Labour spokesperson for environment and climate change.

She emphasised that this is meant to be an assistance programme, not a fully funded scheme.

“I don’t think we can ever have the aspiration that we can fully flood proof everybody’s homes with this, but it is an assistance,” she added.

Fife Council will assess the application and notify applicants of the level of funding they have been awarded within approximately four weeks.

Finally, funds will be dispersed, and the council will set a date to inspect the completed work to ensure compliance.

The scheme will open for applications on Wednesday April 24.

Information on how to apply for the Property Flooding Resilience grant will be made available on that date.