Roger Godsiff

Labour Party | Birmingham Sparkbrook and Small Heath

Godsiff Calls On Mayor To Set Up Disaster Fund

Sparkbrook and Small Heath MP, Roger Godsiff, today called on the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor John Hood, to launch as a matter of urgency a disaster fund to help the people and local businesses most badly affected by the havoc caused the recent freak tornado.

Roger Godsiff MP said: “Such a fund could be used to deal with hardship cases and also to assist the people and businesses faced with short and medium term financial difficulties”.

Mr Godsiff whilst praising the efforts of emergency services, particularly those people on the ground in immediately responding to the disaster went on to say: “The Sparkbrook area is one of the most deprived areas in the country. Many of the people affected by the tornado are in properties which were either not insured or under insured, many have no contents cover. The reality of the situation that we have to confront is that a good number of people are not going to be able to pay for either the cost of repairing their properties or for replacing their contents and that is why I am asking the Mayor to act now”.

“Central Government has acknowledged the severity of the disaster by underwriting the majority the City Council’s costs in dealing with the immediate aftermath of the tornado but more can be done”, said Roger Godsiff MP. He concluded: “I believe that the establishment of such a fund would be met with a positive response and go along way to enabling both Central and Local Government to address genuine hardship problems”.