Activity firm in Cambridgeshire hopes Budget plots road to recovery
The business has been hit by flooding three times this year
A business on the Cambridgeshire-Bedfordshire border has said it would be grateful for any help the Government can give them in tomorrow's Budget to help get back on their feet.
The message comes after heavy flooding last month caused activity and events firm Ride Leisure at Wyboston Lakes to close earlier than usual for the time of year.
Damage to the business' indoor facilities, as well as vehicles, machines and tools were damaged due to high water levels.
Malcolm Scott has told Greatest Hits Radio that Ride Leisure has previously struggled to be eligible for Government support due to what he believes is down to how many people in the local area are reporting flooding.
Confidence in support is low
"I'm not confident at all (Government help will come) because we've not had any help in the past" he said.
"I'd like to see the drainage in the area sorted and a good contact so we can know when levels will rise and in terms of finances, if there are grants available, allow us to try to apply for those grants without the restrictions we've faced in the past.
"We would invest any money we could get into ensuring we can protect the business as best we can and not have to close."
Ride Leisure has been severely hit by flooding three times this year; it's now closing for the events season, but is still running other functions.
In January, small to medium sized businesses were able to apply to the previous government for financial support if they were in an area in England with "exceptional localised flooding" caused by Storm Henk.
This included up to £2,500 from the Business Recovery Grant to what the Government said to "help them return quickly to business as usual".
Budget could aid business recovery
In a speech ahead of the Budget, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer defended talks of tax rises due to be announced, saying that "tax rises will prevent austerity and rebuild public services".
Malcolm believes around £50,000 is needed to help Ride Leisure fully recover from the damage caused by flooding this year, and hopes the Government can contribute towards that sum.
"A portion of that would be good to recover from the losses and certainly for the disruption in business we've had," Malcolm added.
"If we were able to invest in the company, we could try to build up our own (flood) defences without any prior warning that we need."
We've asked the Government for comment.