Bellwin scheme
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Bellwin scheme is a
United Kingdom government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...
emergency financial assistance which "reimburses local authorities for costs incurred on, or in connection with, their immediate actions to safeguard life and property or to prevent suffering or severe inconvenience as a result of a disaster or emergency in their area".


Framework

The scheme is usually set up in response to weather events, but can also be used to cover other circumstances. It is a discretionary scheme which exists to give special financial assistance to local authorities which would otherwise be faced with an undue financial burden as a result of providing relief and carrying out immediate work due to large-scale emergencies. Where the criteria of the scheme are met, the grant is normally payable to authorities at 85% of the eligible costs incurred above a threshold set for each authority, although occasionally the grant rate is increased to 100%. The scheme is named after a 1980s environment minister, Lord Bellwin, who, as Irwin Bellow had been leader of
Leeds City Council Leeds City Council is the local authority of the City of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is a metropolitan district council, one of five in West Yorkshire and one of 36 in the metropolitan counties of England, and provides the majority of l ...
from 1975 to 1979. In 1983, Bellwin introduced the compensation scheme, which was incorporated in the
Local Government and Housing Act 1989 Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States * Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administrat ...
and revised in 2014. A Bellwin scheme may be activated, at the discretion of the environment secretary, *when an emergency or disaster involving destruction of, or danger to, life or property occurs; *and, as a result, one or more local authorities incur expenditure on, or in connection with the taking of immediate action; *or to safeguard life or property or to prevent suffering or severe inconvenience in a local authority's area or among its inhabitants. Councils,
police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
,
fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...
and
national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...
authorities are eligible for Bellwin reimbursement when they have spent more than the usual threshold 0.2% of their calculated annual revenue budget on works which meet the above criteria that have been reported to the Department as eligible for an announced grant scheme.


Bellwin-like schemes under the devolved administrations of the United Kingdom

Bellwin support or schemes are the responsibility of the devolved administrations outside England. The scheme's operation in Scotland is under the control of the Scottish Government, but is broadly the same the English scheme. The
Welsh Government The Welsh Government ( cy, Llywodraeth Cymru) is the Welsh devolution, devolved government of Wales. The government consists of ministers and Minister (government), deputy ministers, and also of a Counsel General for Wales, counsel general. Minist ...
operates an equivalent scheme called the Emergency Financial Assistance Scheme (EFAS). The
Northern Ireland Executive The Northern Ireland Executive is the devolved government of Northern Ireland, an administrative branch of the legislature – the Northern Ireland Assembly. It is answerable to the assembly and was initially established according to the ter ...
has established specific, time-limited schemes rather than a single equivalent to the Bellwin scheme. The most recent scheme runs from July to August 2019.


Events for which the Bellwin scheme has been enacted


England


Scotland


Reform

In January 2014
Eric Pickles Eric Jack Pickles, Baron Pickles, (born 20 April 1952) is a British Conservative Party (UK), Conservative Party politician who served as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Brentwood and Ongar (UK Parliament co ...
, the
Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government The secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, also referred to as the levelling up secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, responsible for the overall leadership and strategic direction o ...
announced that during the 2013–2014 floods the Bellwin scheme would refund 100% of local spending, with the threshold of 0.02% of annual council revenue also reduced. He also announced that a full review of the Bellwin scheme was also to be undertaken, with a view to future reform.


See also

*
European Union Solidarity Fund The European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) was founded in 2002. Its objective is to provide assistance to European Union member states when large-scale disasters occur. Catastrophes are considered to be large-scale if the estimated direct cost of ...
, a disaster relief fund operated by the European Union for member states, which has a much higher threshold of loss requirement (€3 billion at 2002 prices, or more than 0.6%
gross national income The gross national income (GNI), previously known as gross national product (GNP), is the total domestic and foreign output claimed by residents of a country, consisting of gross domestic product (GDP), plus factor incomes earned by foreign ...
). *
List of natural disasters in Britain and Ireland This is a list of natural disasters in the British Isles. See also *List of disasters in Great Britain and Ireland by death toll *Climate of the United Kingdom *Geology of Great Britain *Geology of Ireland *Tsunamis affecting the British Is ...


References


External links


House of Commons Library Briefing Paper: The Bellwin Scheme
{{Weather events in the United Kingdom Emergency management in the United Kingdom