I recently met Environment Secretary Owen Paterson MP with his officials in Taunton to discuss the support options for flood-hit farmers, landowners, businesses and householders.
After much discussion, the minister agreed to increase the grant available to farmers from £5,000 to £35,000 per application. This will be available from Monday and is an excellent step forward.
More needs to be done, of course, and I am continuing to press for a range of local support measures. At the simplest level, for example, the application system for the farmers' grant needs to be simplified by Defra. It is currently all but impenetrable. I'm talking to Defra about that now, because it seems that not all farmers eligible for the grant have come forward to claim it.
I would strongly urge farmers to do so, and to apply for the increased grant from next week. If you have suffered as a result of the floods, this is a fund which, quite simply, is waiting to give you financial support.
If you're having any difficulty with the application process, or need any more information or help, do please get in touch.
I do hope that there will be more measures introduced in the coming months. This has been a terribly difficult time and it deserves special and carefully considered support.
David Warburton
Parliamentary candidate for Somerton & Frome