Residents of Ryde who were hit by floods in October last year are yet to receive a penny from the Government’s Property Flood Resilience Repair Grant Scheme, as it seems all the suitably qualified surveyors are based on the mainland. Around 150 properties in the Monktonmead area were damaged by flash flooding on 25th October 2023 when a record-breaking amount of rain fell on the Isle of Wight. Michael Gove MP, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, announced last year that eligible property owners would be able to apply for a grant of £5,000 to make their homes more resilient in the future, as part of the Property Flood Resilience Repair Grant Scheme. However, almost 6 months on, Ryde residents have still not received any money as they continue to navigate the complicated conditions of the scheme, which the Isle of Wight Council is administering. It’s said that one of the major sticking points is that each property has to be assessed by a surveyor, but homeowners have been told that there is no Isle of Wight-based surveyor who holds the specific qualifications required under the scheme. The Isle of Wight Council provided a list of 3 DEFRA-approved surveyors to the affected households, but all 3 are on the mainland. Of the 3, just 1 covers the Isle of Wight – JBA Consulting – but they normally only work for local authorities. 
Although the company says it will consider working for a joint residents group, it is thought that surveying more than 100 properties before the submission deadline of 1st August is unachievable. An Isle of Wight Council spokesperson has said that the information regarding surveys was shared ‘too early in the process’ before the surveyor options had been fully confirmed. The local authority is now advising that residents wait for formal confirmation on the next steps. Expressions of interest for the scheme are understood to have now opened. Island Echo has asked the Council why the information has not been finalised nearly 6 months on and why the expressions of interest forms have only just opened. A response is expected in due course. There are now calls for the Isle of Wight Council to relax the stringent requirements to assist households in not only receiving the grant money, but protecting their homes against future flooding. The Council has been asked whether they will be relaxing the requirements, or at least seek permission from Government to do so. Further questions have been asked about how many properties have physically received the £5,000 grant to date. 
6 MONTHS ON AND FLOOD-HIT RYDE RESIDENTS STILL WAITING FOR GOVERNMENT CASH
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Imagine if you was 6 months late paying your council tax
Council tax is a big con.
wouldn’t have been late getting money and accommodation to those arriving on dinghies though would they
Of course it’s complicated and taken 6mths , it’s IOW Council again. This Council can’t do anything fast and likes to make itself important by generating endless process, forms and assessment,then hundreds of email’s to each other and on and on. If they were a blue light service many would of died by now. What’s stopping mainland surveyor’s coming over on a ferry, like others do ?. What’s wrong with getting a local surveyor to get Qualified?
This is central government bureaucracy, not IOW Council’s, and it’s they who insist on their Defra approved surveyors. Again, it’s a sop, ‘yes, we’ll do something’ but then sit on the ringfenced money until it times out.
But if the council pushed, it would get sorted, it would of done if it was Bembridge or Freshwater or one of the snobby towns, yes I am pointing my waggling finger again.
No, point your finger by all means, they’re not an out-group, but just not in this instance. Central government trumpet loudly but then do little in reality until absolutely forced to. IOW have done their part even with the goalposts moved by gov’t.
“almost 6 months on, Ryde residents have still not received any money as they continue to navigate the complicated conditions of the scheme, which the Isle of Wight Council is administering”. Why doesn’t Council help then? They’re plenty more DEFRA approved Surveyors across country, Council could employ them , would help both home owners and Council Eg those empty properties getting less Council tax,re value them and again less council tax, council having to pay to temp house children and elderly etc. we are talking about £5000 x £500,000 not as much as land Council just purchased by Coppins Bridge or as much as wasted on consultants around decor and seating in County Hall and then cost to resurfacing county hall car park !
Because the money is ring-fenced Freddie. It HAS to come from a certain pot and be spent on a certain project. If the council paid out pre-emptively and the money DIDN’T come through (supposing the surveyor said it didn’t meet criteria of need) we’d therefore have a budget shortfall in other areas. As the piece says the information regarding surveys was shared ‘too early in the process’ before the surveyor options had been fully confirmed ‘ . That means it bounced back, so needs to be re-submitted and the process starts again. It’s a central government delay tactic to attempt payment avoidance. They do it all the time.
IWC & MP hold your heads in Shame .. all incompetent.
As it stands, and we await confirmation from IoWC whether they will truly lean in and assist, the issue is the requirement for a surveyor with very specific qualifications and experience. The DEFRA approved consultancy only works for the EA and councils and cannot/will not work for individuals.
The bureaucracy doesn’t surprise me but when government announces funding for such work, and the council takes nearly five months to work out the scheme, one would have reasonably expected a workable arrangement to emerge. Currently, the administration of this scheme is looking like a shambles.
The request got bounced back after being sat on by Central gov’t. AKA admin error caused by clear as mud directives. Basically the appeals request corridor opened before the experts had been appointed. Not IOW fault (in this instance) several other councils similarly caught out. Given other monies offered (education, social care, etc) but never spent have faced similar delays one can’t help but wonder if opaqueness is deliberate.
To be clear, JBA Consulting did consider working for individuals but yesterday they confirmed they would/could not do so.