John Healey, floods recovery minister, has allocated funding to 39 local authorities who were worse affected by the July floods.

Around £1.2m is being released to authorities, on top of the £6.2m recently distributed to 36 local authorities. Local authorities will decide how best to spend the money allocated to help those people in the greatest need.

The funding has been allocated to support councils and communities based on the relative number of households affected. In total, around £17.5m of funding has been released to help vulnerable households following this summer’s floods.

Healey said: “Over the last few weeks we have worked closely with local authorities to get a clear assessment of damage to ensure we could target support to areas most in need. I know this money will make a difference to communities as will the other financial support we have announced including funding for schools and transport, as well as extra support through the special Bellwin scheme (a discretionary scheme which gives special financial assistance to local authorities in time of need) and help for businesses.”