Hilary Benn, Labour's Shadow Communities and Local Government Secretary, has called on the Government to exempt households which have been flooded out from paying council tax.

The exemption for families who have been forced to leave their homes could be announced by the Government now, Mr Benn added.

Hilary Benn MP said:

“Families who have had to leave their homes and will need to have them repaired because of flood damage should not be asked to pay council tax.

"The Government should admit that it was a mistake to have changed the law to take away the former provisions giving automatic council tax exemptions when properties are empty and require repairs to make them habitable in cases of flooding.

"In 2007 Labour provided additional funding to help provide council tax exemptions for those households forced to leave their homes for over a year.

"The Government needs to reassure residents that they will work with local authorities to ensure flood victims are not paying council taxes on properties needing substantial repairs.”