Council Tax relief for evacuated flood victims

WEST Berkshire Council has set aside extra money to provide council tax relief for flood hit residents forced to evacuate their homes.
Council Tax relief for empty properties is currently limited to 28 days, but the council has asked its head of finance to extend that time due to the severe weather battering the district.
At a meeting of West Berkshire Council’s Executive last night (Thurs), leader Gordon Lundie thanked emergency services and praised the resilience of affected residents.
He said: “I want to pay tribute and express our support for the communities that have suffered since last week and also thank the West Berkshire staff, volunteers and other supporters such as the Armed Forces and Police and Fire services for their superb cooperation.
“We have seen tremendous resilience from Eastbury, Great Shefford, Shaw, Purley, Compton and Pangbourne along with several other affected communities and we want to do everything that is possible to support them whilst this emergency continues."
Mr Lundie added that the council would be allocating a maximum of £420,000 to allow emergency measures to happen and that residents can apply for Council Tax relief from the moment they are evacuated.