Farron:'Utter Disgrace' That Government Is Failing Flood Victims On EU Funding

South Lakes MP Tim Farron has accused the government of a "callous lack of urgency" as it emerges that the government has still not completed its application to the EU Solidarity Fund to help areas affected by last December's devastating floods.

The EU Commission has today confirmed to the BBC that it is still waiting for information from the UK government to complete its application to the EU Solidarity Fund.

Tim led calls for the government to apply to the fund since the floods first hit, and took a petition signed by thousands of constituents to the European parliament. With just days to go until the deadline, Conservative Ministers eventually bowed to political pressure and made a last-minute application to the fund.

The fund could provide upwards of £100 million to pay for clean-up costs and the rebuilding of vital infrastructure. However, the UK's bid cannot be assessed until the UK government provides a final estimate of the total damage caused. Once the bid is approved, ten percent of the total grant would be made available immediately.

Tim said: "It is an utter disgrace that four months on from the floods the government has still not managed to get its act together.

"When roads and bridges are still closed across South Lakeland, the government's callous lack of urgency in applying for this money is particularly shocking. This money is urgently needed and the application must be completed without delay

"This total lack of preparation shows that the last-minute decision to apply was more about saving face than helping flood victims.

"The Conservatives must now work overtime to urgently secure this vital funding for those whose lives were turned upside down by the floods."