Jon Vale ? Published 18 Dec 2012 16:00 
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A PARISH councillor's radical plans to tackle high insurance fees for homes at risk of flooding have been heard by the Flooding Minister.
Councillor Ian Thompson, flood spokesman for Datchet Parish Council, has written a paper outlining a scientific flood-risk test for homes and plans to finance an 'emergency fund' for homeowners who can not afford contents' insurance.
The proposals, which come after businesses were forced to close due to flooding in Datchet and Old Windsor earlier this month, following days of relentless rain, could mean huge savings for homeowners in flood-risk areas.
The Flooding Minister, Richard Benyon MP, heard the proposals at a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Flood Prevention Group on Tuesday last week, via lobbying group the National Flooding Forum. Cllr Thompson said: "Some homes in Datchet pay incredibly high prices for home insurance.
"A lady who lives by the river, on high ground, came to me with a quote of 4,000, which has more than doubled in two years. But her house has never been flooded.
"The insurance companies have the attitude that if you live near a river, you pay more."
Paul Cobbing, chief executive of the National Flood Forum, is grateful for Cllr Thompson's insight.
He said: "We lobby whoever we can - be they MPs, the Environment Agency or other influential parties - with proposals from all kinds of people.
"Some of them are good and some are bad -fortunately, Ian's stuff is very good."
The flood-risk to properties in the Royal Borough is currently calculated by postcode, meaning a third-floor flat has the same insurance quote as a bungalow in the same postcode.
If the proposals are approved, the flood-risk would be determined using a scientific calculation - including historical and geographical data for each property.
The proposal also backs an insurance levy of around 18 to help cover flood-risk families who cannot afford pricey insurance premiums.
In the UK, around 200,000 owners of flood-risk properties can only afford insurance thanks to an agreement between insurers and the Government, where the Government pledges money to provide flood defences in exchange for cover.
However, the agreement expires in July next year, which could leave homeowners unable to afford insurance cover and facing changes to mortgages.
A new deal is yet to be agreed despite government setting a Christmas deadline.
This article appeared in Slough Observer 18 Dec 12
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