HC Deb 09 February 1960 vol 617 cc211-2
16. Mr. Snow

asked the Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs if he is aware that Royal Air Force personnel recently rendered assistance to many people in Tamworth and to the civic authority by helping to dry out flooded houses with service equipment; and, in view of the exceptional expenses incurred in this and other ways by the local authority in dealing with the emergency created by the flooding, and of the fact that such expenses will have to be met from the rates, if he will consider making a special grant to the local authority towards such expenditure.

Sir K. Joseph

My right hon. Friend has no authority to make a special grant towards this expenditure.

Mr. Snow

Is the hon. Gentleman aware that flooding on the scale recently experienced at Tamworth may well cause expenditure that it is beyond the local authority's capacity to meet? Will he please look at this matter again, and ask for a report on the expenditure so far incurred in this way by this not very large authority?

Sir K. Joseph

I will gladly look at that again, but it seems to me that purely local flooding must be at the risk of the local authority itself.