THE cost to the council of dealing with the flood emergency is likely to exceed £1 million, the Advertiser can reveal.
Council leader Mike Fisher said this week with pumping operations by the Fire Brigade continuing to protect homes and the water treatment works in Godstone Road, Kenley, it was impossible to predict a final figure.
However, under the terms of the Government's Bellwin Scheme for emergency flood assistance, Croydon has been set a threshold of £1 million.
This means it will be responsible for any costs up to that point with the Government meeting 100 per cent of anything above the £1 million total.
Cllr Fisher has been meeting with ministers from the Department of Communities and Local Government this week, and will be raising the need for more support for local authorities to meet soaring flooding bills.
The Government has indicated it may reduce the threshold after which it will meet costs and Cllr Fisher said he would be pressing home the importance of it doing that.
He said: "We have to pay for the work of the fire brigade, the military and well as all our own costs and I am certain that when the totals have been added up, the final bill will come out significantly above the £1 million mark."
Cllr Fisher said costs which fell on the council would be met from contingency funds set aside for emergencies.
Separately at Monday's council meeting, Cllr Fisher announced the authority is to give every business in Purley and Kenley affected by the floods £1,000 compensation plus a three-month rebate on their business rates. This is in line with payouts made to businesses affected by riots.
He added: "I hope those cheques will be going out this week."
Residents who had to be evacuated from their homes because of flooding will receive a three-month rebate on their council tax.
At Monday's meeting, Cllr Fisher also praised the "mammoth efforts" made by the Fire Brigade, the Army and officials from the council and Sutton & East Water Company to protect the water treatment works.
A surge of water in the early hours of Saturday, February 15, threatened to overwhelm the works but they were saved by a sandbagging and other defence works carried out by soldiers, firefighters and council and water company staff.
Cllr Fisher said: "If the treatment works had failed, tens of thousands of homes would have lost their water supplies."
