The Government is putting homes at risk by resisting deals with the insurance industry on flood damage, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.
Current arrangements with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) to provide cover for flood-damaged residences will expire next June, and the Government is yet to reach a new agreement.
The LGA has stated that the Government’s delay in acting on the insurance deal has meant that more homeowners are being denied cover and are, therefore, being exposed to the risk of losing their homes due to severe flooding.
While councils will receive reimbursement for cleaning up flood damage, the LGA has remained concerned that communities will struggle if insurers blacklist high-risk areas.
Clyde Loakes, vice chairman of the LGA’s environment board, said that the recent weather served as a reminder of the importance of flood insurance.
‘A new agreement should have been sorted long before now and the continuing delays are having a very real and severe impact on thousands of people who will be exposed to the risk of losing their homes if they are unable to find insurance,’ Loakes said.
