York residents whose homes have been internally flooded will receive a one-off payment of £500 from City of York Council later this week to help support the clean-up process.Residents who pay their Council Tax by Direct Debit and have been identified as having their homes being flooded* will receive the funding directly in their bank account.

Those paying by other methods will need to collect their payment by bringing photographic ID (e.g. a passport or driving licence) and a proof of address (e.g. utility bill) to the council’s Customer Contact Centre at West Offices on Station Rise. If someone is collecting payment on behalf of a resident, they will need to bring proof of ID and address for themselves, as well as the same ID for the flooded resident.

Residents whose homes have been flooded internally will also be entitled to a Council Tax exemption from 27 December 2015-31 March 2016 inclusive. Residents of all internally flooded properties will automatically receive an updated bill over the next few days.

Anyone who hasn’t received their amended Council Tax bill by 15 January should email council.tax@york.gov.uk or phone 01904 551558.

Refunds will be issued over the next few days to Council Tax payers who are in credit after the flood exemption has been awarded.

There are also a number of other financial support options for residents affected by flooding:

·  The York Financial Assistance Scheme (YFAS) provides help for residents in financial difficulty to continue to live in the local community. More information about the Scheme is available at www.york.gov.uk/yfas email yfas@york.gov.uk or phone 0808 1685238 (during normal office hours 8.30am to 5.30pm).

· York residents whose homes have been flooded, who are on a low income, have little capital and who are not adequately insured, may be eligible for help from York’s Disaster Fund, a registered charity which was established after flooding in York in 2000. Applications for this will be managed by the council for all customers, including those who do not qualify for YFAS. For more information about how to apply please email yfas@york.gov.uk or phone 0808 1685238.

· Up to £5,000 Future Flood Prevention Funding is available for property owners and those who are responsible for maintaining the fabric of a property that has been flooded. This is to improve the property in order to prevent future flood damage. To apply for this please contact the council tax team on council.tax@york.gov.uk or phone 01904 551558.

Businesses which have been affected by the floods are currently being visited by City of York Council representatives.

· Up to £2,500 is available for businesses affected by the floods through the Flood Recovery Fundfor businesses.

Businesses can email business@makeityork.com or phone 01904 554455 to make a claim.

· Businesses which have been flooded will need to apply for an exemption to their Business Rates. Please contact the business rates team at business.rates@york.gov.uk or phone 01904 551140.

· Up to £5,000 in Future Flood Prevention Funds (Commercial)is available for commercial property owners and those who are responsible for maintaining the fabric of a property that has been flooded. This is to improve the property in order to prevent future flood damage. To apply for this please email business@makeityork.com or phone 01904 554455.

Steve Stewart, Chief Executive of City of York Council, said: “We hope that these one-off payments will help York residents and businesses whose homes and properties were flooded to get back on their feet. However, we would still advise people who are covered by insurance to liaise directly with their insurance companies and ensure they employ reputable trades people to undertake work on their property.”

The government has also agreed to match-fund any York flood-related donations made to registered charities, such as the York Flood Appeal. More information about how to donate to the Appeal is available at www.trcf.org.uk/