Families devastated by flooding today demanded action from Prime Minister Boris Johnson as he enjoys a grace and favour break with his girlfriend in Kent.
Up to 1,500 homes have been flooded and thousands more evacuated across Britain following Storm Dennis which brought torrential rain and 90mph winds.
But Mr Johnson has chosen to remain holed up with his partner Carrie Symonds at the Government’s 115-room Chevening mansion while the crisis unfolds.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds at Downing Street in December
![Mr Johnson is staying at the Government's 115-room Chevening mansion in Sevenoaks, Kent](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/19/11/24927548-8020107-image-a-69_1582110213071.jpg)
Mr Johnson is staying at the Government’s 115-room Chevening mansion in Sevenoaks, Kent
MPs speaking on behalf of residents have asked why Mr Johnson has not called a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee to handle the official response.
Craig Whittaker, Conservative MP for Calder Valley, West Yorkshire, said his constituency had been ‘really badly’ affected, with 1,187 properties flooded.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: ‘But, amazingly, it’s the third time in seven-and-a-half years that this has happened to us.’
On the emergency funding scheme announced last night, he said: ‘It will make a huge difference, but the problem is we’ve had to wait so long for it to be triggered.
![Chevening is one of the best perks that go with the job of Foreign Secretary - a 13th century country estate at their disposal to woo dignitaries and impress friends](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/19/12/24930216-8020107-Chevening_is_one_of_the_best_perks_that_go_with_the_job_of_Forei-a-107_1582115532195.jpg)
Chevening is one of the best perks that go with the job of Foreign Secretary – a 13th century country estate at their disposal to woo dignitaries and impress friends
![The Riverside Caravan Park Houses surrounded by flooding in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, today](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/19/11/24927416-8020107-image-a-73_1582110224343.jpg)
The Riverside Caravan Park Houses surrounded by flooding in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, today
‘It’s nine days since the floods in the Calder Valley and I can tell you I’ve been hammering on doors in Whitehall every day since, trying to get this funding triggered.
‘The problem is, what happened last time in 2015, Cobra was called because it was very widespread. This time, because it was much more isolated to the Calder Valley, Cobra wasn’t called, so all the ministers weren’t in one room to agree a funding package.
‘The sad thing is all this funding package that was announced last night comes from about seven different departments, and when you don’t have a situation where you’ve got all ministers in one room, getting them to sign off is just incredibly difficult.’
Asked if it would have helped if the emergency funding had come earlier than last night, Mark Garnier, Tory MP for Wyre Forest, told BBC Radio 4: ‘Yeah, look – if they’re running an overdraft and it gets paid off in a week’s time then I can live with that.’
He added: ‘I think, as long as the money comes, that’s what’s really important to me. What I don’t want to find is my local authority has had to run up some overdraft or, actually, just as importantly is not delivering the emergency responses that we need because of funding, but I don’t get any sense that that’s happening.’
He went on: ‘Being a humble backbencher I can’t guarantee anything but I can absolutely guarantee I will be banging on people’s door to make sure they do get that money.’
It comes after Daniel Kawczynski, Tory MP for Shrewsbury, said yesterday: ‘Given the flooding crisis in our constituencies why has Commons not been recalled?’
He said that more Government funding and flood defence schemes were needed in the Shropshire town, where flood waters blocked main roads yesterday.
Labour MP for Halifax, Holly Lynch, said: ‘His refusal to call a Cobra meeting has really hampered the recovery of lots of different communities.’
However, last night Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced he would trigger the Flood Recovery Framework, releasing thousands of pounds of aid for flooded homes and businesses.
It means flood-hit homes and businesses can apply for up to £5,000 to help make them more resilient against future flooding.
Households can also apply for up to £500 in financial hardship payments and 100 per cent council tax relief, while flooded businesses can apply for up to £2,500 and 100 per cent business rates relief.
The Environment Agency claims that existing defences have protected at least 20,000 properties while the Government has promised to invest £4billion in flood defences over the next five years.
![A woman carrying shopping bags wades through floods in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, today](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/19/12/24927880-8020107-image-a-103_1582115168290.jpg)
A woman carrying shopping bags wades through floods in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, today
![Flooding hit Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire yesterday with the Abbey surrounded by water](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/19/11/24927558-8020107-image-a-70_1582110215661.jpg)
Flooding hit Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire yesterday with the Abbey surrounded by water
Mr Johnson normally goes to the country estate of Chequers in Buckinghamshire to unwind with Miss Symonds.
But as the mansion, set in 1,000 acres of English countryside, is undergoing repairs this weekend, Mr Johnson has asked to make use of Chevening instead.
It is understood he will be working from the mansion, which is Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab’s weekend retreat.
The repairs being carried out at Chequers are fairly standard, rather than major works.
![Flooding in the Kent town of Maidstone yesterday in the aftermath of 90mph Storm Dennis](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/19/11/24927564-8020107-image-a-71_1582110218305.jpg)
Flooding in the Kent town of Maidstone yesterday in the aftermath of 90mph Storm Dennis
![A van marooned in flood water on Sunday after Storm Dennis in Fordingbridge, Hampshire](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/19/11/24927562-8020107-image-a-72_1582110220514.jpg)
A van marooned in flood water on Sunday after Storm Dennis in Fordingbridge, Hampshire
Chevening is one of the best perks that go with the job of Foreign Secretary – a 13th century country estate at their disposal to woo dignitaries and impress friends.
The Grade I-listed property in Sevenoaks was gifted to the nation for the use of a cabinet minister or a member of the royal family.
It is not funded by the Government and is the responsibility of its trustees.
Chequers, on the other hand, was given to the nation by Sir Arthur Lee, an MP and minister during and after the First World War.
The Chequers Estate Act 1917 created a trust allowing prime ministers use of the mansion on the assumption they would not necessarily have their own country estate.